'Chain Reaction' is their sixth album so far and to be completely honest we needed to review it back then, but there is a good reason we are doing it now and the reason is that GSR Music (LAST HOPE’s new home) is now releasing it in the shape of a nice and slick black vinyl with a color inner sleeve, a personal download code and all. In other words it is a thing of beauty, so go for it. 

 

Apart from the aforementioned physical aspects, this is a thing of sheer live brutality and unlike the complex and probably most metal effort from 2007 'Test of Time', these 13 tracks sound like they were built to be played live. 'Chain Reaction' is more of a celebration of LH’s roots, a celebration of classic hardcore punk attitude, a great follow-up to 'More Than Ever' (2012).

 

Don’t get it? Well, just watch the video for 'New Day Heroes' (Alex SBD is having his part here) and listen to the iconic guitar line during the second half of the chorus. Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. True grit. And while we are still on the topic, there’s one more video off this album, 'Majority of One', where Alex is barking the lines: “Why should I try to fit in with your world/And do what everybody’s doing/I live my life for me and no one else/And you are throwing judgements…” 

 

And you can’t help, but feel that integrity, that aesthetics and attitude through the whole 12”, from the 'Welcome Home/Intro' through the guest appearance of Rob (BORN FROM PAIN) in the self-titled track up to the final notes of 'Break The Chains'. Add to that the merciless drum work of Kosio and the flawless bass lines of Papi to provide a recurring balance between the pumping moments and the organized chaos and you will get a pretty good picture of a machine that LH is today.

 

This band is a machine indeed - a hard touring (they were part of the MADBALL Rebellion European Tour last year), bowel-grinding, brain-pummeling hardcore machine. In other words, as I said in the beginning, a national treasure. And you won’t find it in the fucking museum, because it is alive and kicking.