Is This Progress?

When a band hasn’t released a record in ten years, fans may be a little apprehensive about whether the band they had loved can keep up their sound, or if they’ll go in some unfamiliar direction. California based melodic hardcore band Ignite are in an interesting position with their newest release, A War Against You. Though their 1994 debut Scarred for Life highlights plenty of clean singing and the melodic side of melodic hardcore, they also have a far more straight forward hardcore repertoire with releases like their 1995 EP In My Time. Hardcore fans who may have been entirely put off by the singing on albums like Scarred for Life can still appreciate their tougher side, which left things a bit up in the air regarding the new record.

Unfortunately for fans of the more bare bones, two-stepping version of Ignite, A War Against You is full of their signature clean singing and more than one obvious influence from lead singer Zoli Téglás’ time in skate punk band Pennywise…and whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is really up to fans to decide. It is fair to say, though, that despite it’s 1990s hardcore influenced cover and the general aesthetic surrounding the band, Ignite is not exactly what new listeners would expect. This is clear from the instant that the opening track, “Begin Again” starts with dueling isolated clean vocals and sets the tone for the rest of the album.

For long time Ignite fans, at least those who have liked most of what they’ve put out through the years, will certainly find something to enjoy on A War Against You. Tracks like “Oh No Not Again” are undoubtedly catchy and songs like “The Suffering” and “How is this Progress” have their trademark political edge to them, but there is nothing particularly remarkable about it. There’s no reminder of the other side of the band, one that may have been a fan’s selling point for them, where they sound just like a ’90s hardcore band with lots of rage and mosh parts to spare, but clearly this is not the sound that Ignite wants. And with so many interesting things happening in hardcore (including melodic hardcore) in the years between their last release and this, even from bands that have been around as long as Ignite has, one might be forced to ask “who cares?”