Formed on the bad streets of Boston in 2000, Death Before Dishonor have carved out a unique niche in the hardcore scene through sheer hard work and determination. Having played shows on every continent whilst releasing a steady stream of albums, you might wonder what’s left for the band to conquer. Yet their sixth full-length album, Nowhere Bound, evidences a group who aren’t content to rest upon past glories and are intent on pushing the boundaries of what hardcore can be, and with Nowhere Bound, Death Before Dishonor have a clear destination in sight.
As seems de rigueur for hardcore bands, Death Before Dishonor have had a rotating line-up over the years with vocalist Bryan Harris being the only founding member remaining in the group. However, their current incarnation has found an easy chemistry, and if you need proof to the band’s chutzpah you need look no further than opening blast ‘Intro’. It’s an instrumental that finds the group locking in tightly to deliver a skull crushing song that swings with menace. It’s an introduction much in the vein of S.O.D.’s ‘March Of The S.O.D.’ and Warzone’s ‘Intro Burst’. It’s a track which serves two functions; a), it makes a perfect gateway into the album; once you hear those pounding drums and crunchy guitars, you know you are in for some good music, and b), it’s a track that’s sure to transfer well to the live environment and is guaranteed to rile up any crowd. It’s serves a similar function here and means that when the following ‘Inherit The Pain’ kicks in, it kicks in hard. It’s a cut that finds Bryan Harris in fine voice with a style that’s just as visceral as the music.
Musically, Death Before Dishonor deliver a raw brand of hardcore that could draw favourable comparisons with the likes of Agnostic Front, Merauder and Terror. It’s a sound that’s devoid of any extraneous frills (although big on thrills) and derives its power from a kind of reductionism; the band don’t use two notes when one will suffice and everything is boiled down to its purest form until all that’s left is delivered with a powerful punch. That none of these tracks break the three minute mark should give you a good indication of the sound contained within with cuts such as ‘Overruled’ and ‘Life’s Grip’ throwing all sorts of neat moves and hitting all the right pressure points. Without really trying, Death Before Dishonor serve up a brand of crossover that’s hard enough to attract metalheads and spiky enough to appeal to old school punks.
A collection of tracks that detail the bands personal struggles over the past six years, Nowhere Bound hurtles towards a frantic finale that proves that after a quarter of a century, Death Before Dishonor’s aim is still true.
- Nowhere Bound is released via Bridge Nine Records on 16th May 2025 (available in the UK from Warpath Records).
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Track List:
- Intro
- Inherit The Pain
- Die Alone
- Pushed To The Edge
- Will To Fight
- Overruled
- Forgive And Forget
- Thick As Thieves
- Life’s Grip
- End Of Days
- Nowhere Bound
