I have been a big fan of Bane for quite some time. I've always followed their music, seen them at shows, and just all out appreciated them for what they did. After their last EVR release though, things kind of seemed to slow down. It seemed like they hadn't put out any new music in forever. It seemed like I had seen them three hundred times live, playing the same set over and over. (Maybe that has to do in part with my being so closely located to them, maybe someone on the west coast wouldn't feel the same way) I was just kind of sitting around, waiting, for them to do something new. I was constantly looking for something more, because, yes, as much as I love their old work I grew some what bored with their current set list and songs-- having nearly every set I saw end with "Can We Start Again" and consist of relatively the same songs.
When I heard there was to be a new Bane full length, I was quite pleased. I was very happy. It was what I had been waiting for all this time. My only question was as to whether or not this CD would deliver. Whether or not they'd be able to give us-- the fans-- exactly what we wanted.
Not only did they deliver, but on "Give Blood", Bane exceeds any sort of ideas I could have had in my mind for how hard this CD could rock and kick ass compared to their other music and a lot of shit other bands are putting out right now.
From the first track (which starts off with almost a Drowningman guitar riff) "Speechless", Bane steps up to that next level. Even lyrically, lines like, "How do I say this without sounding like some cheesy Motley Crue song?" show you just how far they have come as a band.
Songs like "Snakes Among Us" and "Bang the Drum Slowly" will instantly grab you and suck you in. I could literally sit around quoting lyrics from this CD all day, and I have.
I guess what amazes me the most is that I've told numerous people on different occasions how much this CD rocked, and then when they actually got their hands on it, they were so quick to agree. They were just as pleased as I were, and surprised. Not surprised because Bane sucks and they could never do anything this good, but just because I think we all knew that the new CD would be good but we never expected it to be this good.
I think this is another one of those CDs that will put the naysayers to rest and have all the people who say "Eh, I don't really like Bane" moshing it up and singing along.
If you're a fan of hardcore you probably already are a fan of Bane and you're probably going to get this CD no matter what I write and you're probably going to go see them when they come around to your neck of the woods. So I don't feel like I really want to "hype up" this CD or try to "sell" it any further. The people who aren't going to buy this CD simply just don't listen to hardcore and I can't really say anything to change their minds and get them to buy it.
So I guess all I'd really like to say is thanks. Thank you to Bane for making this CD, and for it far passing anything any one of us could have ever imagined. Thank you for finally giving us that missing piece that we have been so desperately craving for all of this time. Thanks for pressing on and overcoming everything and not just cracking to the pressure and becoming another great band of the past, like so many others have done and like so many others would have done. And thank you for giving us what we need.