Boston hardcore has certainly spawned its share of renowned bands over the years (
SSD,
Gang Green), but the group from the area that has attracted the most attention circa the early 21st century is
Death Before Dishonor, a nonstop touring machine. Their 2009 release,
Better Ways to Die, could quite possibly serve as
Death Before Dishonor's major breakthrough. Like many modern-day hardcore bands,
Death Before Dishonor are not a pure hardcore band, as the precision riffing of such metal bands as
Slayer can be detected, while the beginning of the track "Remember" contains some melodic guitar work (before collapsing into hardcore fury). But on tracks like "Bloodlust," all of the hardcore prerequisites -- including a gang-shouted chorus -- are well represented. With the arrival of
Better Ways to Die,
Death Before Dishonor have certainly blossomed into one of the top modern hardcore outfits of the modern day. ~ Greg Prato