Customer Reviews

Hardknox

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I heard this track on a local college radio show and immediately had to check them out. This is one of the best new groups I've heard in recent memory with infectious fast beats, great mixing and sampling. Hip-hop influences and vocals by Lindy Layton and others give this group a unique sound. If you like Lo Fidelity all Stars, Fat Boy Slim or Crystal Method buy this album.

Best tracks are Come in Hard, Attitude, and Who's Money.

Steve Proctor and Lindy Layton have done a brilliant job creating a CD that is chock full of aggressive breaks. Yes yes it may not be perfectly aligned but thats what makes it incredibly beautiful. Mad, hard, crazy.

The standout track is definitely 'Coming Back With A Sword'. Very Edgy and the high pitched sounds chopping and sweeping later make for a few very intense moments.

This is by far one of the most amazing CD's just going ballistic and rocking out. I saw Hardknox do a live gig at the Big Day Out a couple of years ago and it was memorable and confronting at the same time. I hope we see more releases from the school of Hardknox in the future. The last release I remember is 'Body Go' from the Rollerball Soundtrack.

Top Stuff!

I heard the song "Psychopath" on a compilation CD and knew immediately that I had to have this band's album. This is the most unique electronic sound I have ever heard. Their combination of techno and some hardcore hip-hop is incredible. Tracks like "Coz I Can", "Fire Like This", and "Attitude" are guaranteed to make your heart race and your head bob. Plus, anyone who takes AMG's most famous line and uses it in a track is allright with me.(listen to "Who's Money") Hardknox is a must-have for anyone who is tired of the candy-store techno that seems to be dominating the radio lately.

Although not an artistic masterpeice, for all its sheer enjoyment I'd give this cd a 8/10.

One of the previous reviewers wasn't too fond of this CD and talked about sampling and all that. The truth is he is very correct. I get off on analyzing electronic production and Hardknox has a very shoddy sound. Maybe they use looped beats, maybe it sounds a tad amature at times (though these occasions are few and far between), but their are some decent bass riffs and beat manipulation which is admirable. And even though this album is heavily filtered and all lo-fi'd out, it still has a studio polished sound, as in it doesnt sound like it came of your buddies 8-track.

But what I feel many people overlook is that despite this cd's relative simplicity, Hardknox set out with a sound in mind and they hit the nail on the head. This cd is one of the hardest and abrasive electronic albums you'll ever find. Not to mention the songs are all quite catchy, which in itself is a difficult trait to incorporate into production.

That aside, let me just say though that a cd need not be brilliant to be abso-crappin-lutely excellent, which I find this cd to be.

If you like really hard, loud, strong beats, this album is untouchable. I like every song on this cd (for the most part), and it was one of the most rewarding on-the-fly purchases i've ever made. It's got a really sick grungy sound, and its just great pumpup music. This is not to mention that everyone I've EVER played this cd for totally rocks out to it: it is just straight up excellent. And figuring that this cd can be bought on amazon marketplace for under a dollar at the time of this writing, It is more than worth it.

The only tracks I have gripe with is Track 5 (gets old after a while) and the final track, which is a weak remix of Atitude and just doesnt fit with the rest of the album. My personal favorite is track 4, which is a massive dark tune with DNB bass at breaks speed, and turns absolutely frenetic half way through.

If you are looking for an artistic journey, or are just stuck on an elitist pedastal and huff at simplicty, look elsewhere. But if you like the cut-up sound or just want something harder than Fatboy Slim, do yourself a favor and GET THIS CD.

An outstanding album... Steve P. throws some positively bone-crunching tracks in, showing the darker side of breakbeat. Attitude, Come In Hard, Psychopath... some wicked tracks showing how far the duo have progressed since leaving Skint records a couple of years back. My favourite is Coming Back With A Sword, an epic, brooding number with some nice vocal samples. Unmissable if you're a breakbeat fan who likes rock as well. Strongly recommended for any bigbeat fan.

Technically, this album is weak...too much sampled, artistically bad...But This group is the most attractive breakbeat thing I've ever heard. Okay! It's bad...but your ears love it nevertheless. Listen to "Coz I Can"...hard, sulfurous, this track makes you wanna jump in the air.Perhaps one of the most catchy big beat track I own.

I heard the track "Psychopath" on a techno compilation CD and I knew right then that I had to buy their album. This was the most unique electronic sound I have ever heard. Songs like "Attitude", "Coz I Can", and "Fire Like This" makes your heart race and your head bob. Plus, anyone who takes AMG's most famous line and incorporates into a song is all right with me (listen to "Who's Money"). This is a must-have for any techno enthusiast who is tired of the candy store electronica that dominates the radio these days.

The only reason I bought this CD is because it has that song from "Me, Myself, & Irene" where Charlie turns into Hank. That song is not on the soundtrack to the movie. I don't know who the idiot is who put the soundtrack together without the most played song in the movie... anyway. That song is awesome, but the rest of the album pretty much sucks.

great vocals,hard beats,what more could u ask for? i first heard the song 'attitude' in the movie my first mister and fell in love with it immediately,other fav songs are cozican and come in hardhighely recomended