Familiarity, Simplicity Make BIOHAZARD'S Latest LP Worth Hearing At Least Once

BY: Philip Sayblack

This past Friday, Biohazard returned with its latest album, Divided We Fall.  The band’s first new record in more than a dozen years, it proves to be a presentation that the band’s most established audiences will agree is a welcome return.  That is proven in part through the musical arrangement that makes up the 38-minute presentation.  The lyrical themes that accompany said musical arrangements make for their own interest and appeal for the noted audiences.  The sequencing of said content ensures those noted audiences (and more casual listeners, too) will remain engaged and entertained throughout the album’s 11-song body.  Each item noted is key in its own way to the whole of the record.  All things considered they make Divided We Fall a work that the most devoted Biohazard fans and even more casual listeners will find worth hearing at least once.
Divided We Fall, the latest album from Biohazard (the band’s first record since 2012’s Reborn in Defiance), is a presentation that the band’s most devoted audiences will agree is a welcome return.  More casual audiences will agree it is worth hearing at least once.  That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  From the first to last, the 11 total arrangements featured herein break little to no new ground for the band.  That familiar chugging guitar sound, the thundering drums, and the tough guy vocals that have made the band a household name since roughly 1990 are all on full display here with some subtle touches, such as in ‘Eyes on Six,’ which brings in a touch of sludge/doom metal a la Crowbar.  That and the more familiar hardcore approach for which the band has come to be known make for one of the most notable of the arrangements.  The rest of the record’s entries are easily comparable to so many works from so many of the band’s contemporaries, such as Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Darkest Hour, etc.  To that end, the overall musical picture painted here is clear.  It is everything that established audiences have come to know of the band.  For more casual audiences, it is a presentation that can be found to be worth hearing at least once.
The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements make for just as much appeal for audiences.  That is because of its own familiarity.  The social and sociopolitical commentary for which the band has come to be known in so much of its catalog is on full display here, right from the album’s outset, ‘F*** The System.’  This song is an indictment of not one side of the political aisle but both sides, stating clearly and simply, “Don’t waste your breath/Telling me who’s left/Or telling me who’s right/F*** the system” before later adding, “We’re all taught the way/To follow their rules/We all learn the same s***/From all the same schools/We all believe the nonsense they put on the news/We accept propaganda as the absolute truth/We all forgive the promise that they make and break/We never question the news that we know is fake/We all know/This life and our world is at stake/How much more can we take.”  That sharp criticism on this nation’s governing body and the news agencies that are biased on both sides is not only familiar territory for Biohazard but for rock, hard rock and metal in general.  It is interesting, on a side note, to point out that when a band, such as Rage Against the Machine made such statements on its records, the band’s members were called “Commies.”  But any other band out there is welcome to make such statements.  It is an interesting juxtaposition.  Getting back on topic, even with that juxtaposition in mind, this indictment of the system is just as welcome today as it was back in the early 1990s.  That is because the system is that corrupt and broken.  Add in the fact that the band delivered this familiar theme in such simple, straight forward fashion makes for proof positive of the importance of the record’s lyrical content in regard to its appeal.
‘Eyes On Six,’ another of the record’s early entries, is further proof of the appeal ensured through the album’s lyrical themes.  In the case of this song, the message is more social, as it warns audiences to “watch your f*****’ back” and to “Never give up/Never give in/Know where you come from/Play your cards right/Know who your friends are/And keep your circle tight.”  This is a message that is certain to resonate with audience, especially (again) because of the easy accessibility ensured through its delivered.  This song is that familiar message of making sure you know who your friends and enemies are.  Again it is a familiar theme within the hard rock and metal community and is certain to resonate with listeners.  To that end it is yet another example of how the simplicity and familiarity of the record’s lyrical themes make the record appealing for the noted audiences.
‘Death of Me’ follows the same theme as ‘Eyes On Six,’ just in a different fashion as the song’s subject here is directly telling another person to “Back the f*** up/Get outta my face…Keep your distance from me.”  That is because the song’s main subject has come to realize just how far he or she has been pushed to the edge.  This person clearly is one of those people that makes an individual need and want to watch their back, going back to ‘Eyes on Six.’
From here the rest of the album seems to focus heavily on mental health issues and being strong enough to overcome those issues.  The way in which the band delivered the message throughout the record’s second half is just as simple and accessible as that used for the content in the album’s first half.  To that end, the simplicity that the band uses throughout the record, lyrically, does just as much to appeal to the noted audiences as that used in the record’s musical body.
Putting the final touch to the album’s presentation is the sequencing of said content.  Noting again, the record’s familiar heaviness, those behind the boards did just enough to subtly change the impact of each arrangement from beginning to end.  The result is an aesthetic impact that keeps things just interesting enough to keep listeners engaged from beginning to end of its nearly 40-minute record.  When the record’s sequencing is considered alongside the album’s overall content, the whole makes Divided We Fall a presentation that is sure to unite the band’s most devoted audiences and even some more casual listeners.
Divided We Fall, the latest full-length studio recording from Biohazard, is a presentation that will appeal easily to the veteran hardcore band’s most devoted audiences.  This is due to the simple approach taken throughout the album and its familiar content.  The simple, straight forward approach taken throughout the 38-minute album makes it a fully and easily accessible presentation.  This is evidenced in its musical and lyrical content alike.  That accessibility and familiarity itself ensures listeners’ engagement from the album’s opening to its end.  The sequencing of said content further ensures that engagement and entertainment, as the subtle changes in each arrangement make clear.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the record.  All things considered they make Divided We Fall a presentation that will appeal primarily to the band’s most devoted audiences.
Divided We Fall is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of Biohazard’s latest news at:
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