PURIFICATION: Banging The Drums Of War CD Italian Hardcore. Merauder, All Out War, Madball, Throwdown, Hatebreed. Check whole album, all songs (audio)

I decided to buy this cd mainly because I was attracted by the cover and the inner artwork, but only when I inserted the disc in the cd player I realized that my hard-earned bucks had been spent wisely. What an experience! The album is a masterwork of new-school hardcore, unrelentingly intense, highly technical and played as if their lives depended on it. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the album, however, is a tragic and awesome beautry which is expressed with deep and surprisingly well written lyrics, especially considering that english is not the bands native tongue.
This is completely uncompromising from start to finish, not even the time to catch a breath, it’s a full on sonic assault from start to finish and one which even if you do not appreciate the music from, you can not fail to respect in terms of its sheer power and technical prowess of its authors. Absolutely mindblowing, Banging the Drums of War is a worthy addition to any record collection, although be warned, that this is a heavy and thought-provoking experience.
The vegan straight edge has a name now, and that name is PURIFICATION.

Before buying this CD I was not too sure on what to expect from it, but the band’s fame and the fine artwork made me take the right decision: I bought it. I had some fears that Purification could have be only the next clone in a neverending list of band playing unoriginal and cheap metalcore. How wrong I was in thinking so. This is as good, intelligent and sincere as hardcore ever gets. The music never stops to take a breath; the vocals never return to anything less than blood-curdling. The lyrics never compromise. This disc is an inspiration for all people who put their beliefs before themselves. What you get is vegan straight edge mayhem at its best. “Banging the drums of war” can now be lined along with the other masterpieces of the style: Day of Suffering’s “The eternal jihad”, Earth Crisis’s “Destroy the machine” or Raid’s “Above the law”. They even re-recorded “Holy War”, which I prefer in the older version, but apart from that this CD is a sure winner and a must for all fans of new school hardcore (Hatebreed, etc.). I’ll shut up now, buy the album and let it speak for itself.

Being a fan of Purification for a long time, I can judge this one as their best release to date. There were great expectations towards this album, and they have all been maintained. What we have here is a solid and powerful record of new school metalcore the way it is supposed to be played. The first comparisons coming to mind may be All Out War, Earth Crisis and Slayer, with a bit of melody and emotional parts here and there. The style is the same of their previous works, but here you can sense a more solid song structure and better studied dancing parts. The lyrics are *awesome* as usual. This record will sure appeal to all those into pit-action and dancing at shows, as it contains some of the best breaks and dancing parts that I have listened in years, doubtlessly the best you can actually find in the genre. This is Purification’s CD of maturity and one not to be missed! Favourite tracks: “Warpaint”, “Lament for a fallen soldier” and “Holy War”.

What can I say? I got this album yesterday and have already listened to the whole thing ten times. The lyrics are incredibly good. His voice will send a shiver down your spine. The innerworkings of the music totally blow my mind. In my opinion, this is one of the best hardcore bands in existance. And what gets me, is that these guys were around during the beginning of the hardcore movement, yet they sound so much more experienced than any of the bands of that time.
For fans of: Merauder, All Out War, Madball, Shai Hulud and Throwdown.

I decided to buy this cd last november, right after having seen Purification during their japanese tour. I was blown away by their live set and so I decided to give them a try. It was a smart move, and banging the drums of war is one of the finest moments in nowadays hardcore. Purification is totally awesome, they have excellent music, great vocals and a great message too. I think that they are actually one of the best hardcore bands around.

I love this cd. It is amazing. If you like true and sincere hardcore then get it. Purification put the full stop to breakneck metalcore with this already classic release. 8 tracks surge by in just 25 minutes or so, seeking to cripple your hearing with their uncompromising heaviness and all-out aggression.
What hardcore should be all about.