Children – Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World

Hanging Tough

Children is a new band out of NYC, but like a lot of bands today, they sound old. Their style of music is a mixed revival of hard rock from the past. Unlike many of their contemporaries, however, Children actually create something unique. Their debut EP, Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World, is a modern take on old school thrash.On songs like ‘Power Spirit’ and ‘Advanced Mind Control,’ the vocalist spits out his lyrics in true Slayer fashion. The guitars are distorted, fast and chunky, maintaining the rhythm of the song along with the bass and drums recalling early Anthrax records. Even the recording style sounds vintage yet somehow the song structure and blended styles keep everything current. Take the song “Subterranean Cities.’ It begins like a punch in the face with a punky Exodus-like Riff and then segues into some more modern math-rock guitar work. It’s also amazing that this band is fairly new because the musicianship is on par with bands that have been doing this style for twenty-five years.

The red herring on the album is ‘H.T.H.A.T.E.O.T.W’, which could be considered the “ballad” since it is a slow song, but is actually a spacey Spanish guitar number that evolves into a Pink Floyd-inspired song. It stands out not just because of the great guitar work but because it shows the band has not pigeon-holed itself into one certain style of music, yet doesn’t seem out of place on the record.

On Hard Times Hanging at the end of the World, Children have taken all of the best elements of early 80’s thrash and hard rock and blended them in a way that pays homage much more than it borrows. Highly recommended to any metal or hard rock fan.