With the ever-changing face of hardcore getting seemingly more and more progressive, this California outfit has chosen a pretty apropos name seeing as how they're fighting to get the attention of fans of the metal/grind/hardcore genre when there's a gazillion bands out there doing this already. Uphill Battle come out guns a-blazin', and succeed - albeit temporarily - in providing hearing loss for those who enjoy paint-peeling vocals, gut-wrenching bottom end and lightning-fast drumming. On that subject, I've always been impressed by that style of drumming `cause they play so damn fast yet very technical at the same time. I'd have to have limbs of rubber to play like that. But I digress.

Lyrically, these guys scream about your basic "pissed off at the world and I'm gonna tell you why" type stuff, but unless you have the lyrics in front of you (which thankfully are included), then you won't know what the hell they're talking about. Not as experimental as, say, Converge, or labelmates Soilent Green, but good for a few listens until you can't feel your legs, or your arms if you happen to be trying to air-drum along to these songs like I was. Good luck.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: "Next On The Misery List", "Forked Tongue", "Climate Control"

- Bryce Dunn, CITR Radio, Vancouver, BC

By Bryce Dunn
May 24, 2002