Three years after the release of "Lost In Life", Backtrack returns to action with a brand new record, "Bad To My World". The New York outfit took full advantage of their time off to filter all their anger and frustration and forge them into a soulful outcome. Comprised of just ten tracks, and with a running time of approximately twenty minutes, it doesn't leave room for misinterpretation.
The album doesn’t even bother with an intro. “War” lives up to its title and is exactly what you’d expect the opening track of a Backtrack record to be;
unapologetic and riddled with angst. The second track, “One With You”, is a pure hardcore hymn, a
burst of energy, that will get your blood boiling. Up next is the short but powerful title track,
which follows the eruptive path of the older material -also props for those
beautiful basslines, courtesy of Danny Smith, at the 01:06 mark; the absolute moshpit killer. Similarly, “The Deep Is Calling” and “Dead At the Core” are dynamic compositions that will make you want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs while punching the shit out of people around
you at the show; trust me on that.
Having entered the second half of the album already (?!), we are greeted with
“Cold Blooded”, a personal favorite. Don’t be fooled by the intro. This track
is a fully calculated headbanger; from the speedy riffs to the brisk solo
to the clean-cut hardcore parts, it’s not what one would call a predictable
song. “Gutted" follows a similar path while “Crooks Die Slow”, in all its
trenchant glory, rightfully deserves a spot in the upcoming setlist. As we near
the end, “Never-Ending Web” brings out even more the influences of the band and
prepares the ground for the grand finale. “Sanity” builds the last crescendo, allowing
the album to go out with a bang. At the end of “Bad To My World”, the listener
will have either found their soul or lost their mind. No in-betweens.
The album flows seamlessly. Reasonably
heavy and pissed-off, it feels like an adrenaline shot; from start to finish, it was clearly made to be performed on stage. The only real downside
is the short duration. See, here’s where things get tricky. On one hand, 20’ aren’t
enough for the listener to fully warm up to the album; on the other, more or longer songs
would most likely weaken the end result by introducing fillers.
The chemistry between Backtrack's current lineup is more
than obvious. The addition of Danny Smith on bass and Steve DiGenio on drums
worked as a catalyst to create a solid foundation on which guitarists Ricky
Singh and Chris Smith unfolded and structured their creative vision. I should
also point out that the vocal approach seems indeed different, as Ricky Singh recently mentioned. Taking a break from consistent
touring was quite beneficial for vocalist James Vitalo. Although he still
sports the energetic vocal style he’s known for, he definitely sounds less
strained on this album. Sure, his voice might have cracked on a couple of lines
here and there but this doesn’t diminish in any way the overall tempestuous
spirit of the album.
All in all, “Bad To my World” was absolutely worth the
wait. Backtrack wrote the album they would want to listen to after a bad day or
to get in the mood for a show. It’s an incendiary sonic assault that every fan
of hardcore music should pay attention to.
9/10
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