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ALBUM REVIEW: "Dragged Through The Dirt" by Justice For The Damned

   If your idea of a good time is being beaten up and kicked repeatedly on the ground, the debut album from Justice For The Damned will be right up your alley. Jokes aside, though, it's a brutal, bruising listen, the only real reprieves from the sludgy grooves, blast beats and huge growls and pit calls coming with the first minute or so of "Beyond The Pale" and the interlude track "For Your Eyes Only". This isn't necessarily a bad thing - the band's biggest strength is their affinity for mammoth compositions of filthy riffs and crushing, bone-shuddering breakdowns (employed with impeccable taste). There is a tangible energy to these songs too, something I was fortunate enough to experience at their set supporting the excellent Ocean Grove the other week, that translates really well from a live setting to this album. There is no standout "bad song" here, simply a collection of some of the hardest, most brutal hardcore/metal jams you'll hear outside of a Nails record. At 35 minutes Dragged Through The Dirt isn't long by any stretch, but in this corner of music it is beginning to reach the limits of how long you can expose yourself to such complete sonic abuse. For me it was just sitting on the right side of the fence, but for some it could very well be overwhelming to make it all the way through in one listen. Overall it's a solid first album from a band I've been watching for a while, the lack of variety not really an issue considering the genre they are so firmly present in. It isn't rewriting any rule books, and you definitely shouldn't buy it for nan, but it will certainly have your head banging and your face melting.

   Favourite Songs: Dragged Through The Dirt, No Flowers On Your Grave, Beyond The Pale and It Will Always Be My Fault

    Least Favourite Song: Lilac

   Rating: B

   What did you think about this album? Are there any other albums you want to hear my thoughts on? Let me know in the comments.
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