Victory Style IV – Various Artists

By Laura Glick

With a pleasant variety of tempos and styles, the latest Victory Records compilation is more accessible and overall more enjoyable than previous albums.

Leading the way are New York’s Snapcase and Ontario’s Grade, dishing out tight, frenetic doses of crunchy, raw hardcore.

However, the alternate version of Grade’s "A Year in the Past" lacks much of the gutteral passion present in the original recording found on Under the Radar.

Also offering memorable tracks are Grey Area with their brand of hardcore-lite and Integrity 2000 contributing a hefty dose of low, rumbling bass lines and vocals that make your throat hurt.

Ranging from frighteningly intense old-school hardcore to bouncy carefree ska, Victory Style iv adequately represents the gamut of the Chicago label’s bands.


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