First Blood - Silence Is Betrayal

First Blood are a hardcore band from the Bay Area in San Francisco and I can honestly say that their new album - Silence is Betrayal has blown my mind. For the uninitiated, this band really is a mouthpiece for one Mr Carl Schwartz formerly of fellow hardcore bruisers Terror and with pedigree like that, First Blood are set for stun all the time. I mean no disrespect by saying that this is Carl's band, if anything, it is a compliment as it serves to distill the vitriol and the results are devastating.

First Blood are one of the most brutal hardcore bands that I have ever heard. Form beginning to end, it never lets up. The production is flawless as you can hear everything just as it was intended. There is riff after riff of hardcore brutality and the drummer is a machine.  Everything is locked in tight and the man with the plan Carl tears the place apart.

I would not go so far as to say that this is a concept album but there is a message for sure. What I am taking away from this album is the war in Iraq for one country is wrong. The album tracks are in some cases separated by samples of various politicians and army types and these only serve to push the message home. You can tell the band and Carl through his vocal delivery that they believe in this.

This is hardcore just how I like it. It is brutal, heavy and passionate. You may even learn something. As I said before this is devastating and flawless.


  1. Intro

  2. Silence

  3. Preamble

  4. Enemy

  5. Resist

  6. Truth

  7. Detach

  8. Enslaved

  9. Confront

  10. Fear

  11. Occupation

  12. Fascism

  13. Lies

  14. Messenger

  15. Survive

  16. Armageddon II

Bullet Tooth Records
Reviewer: twansibon
Jan 6, 2011

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