On their upcoming full length record, ‘All Is Forgiven’, HAWSER (interviewed for IDIOTEQ in 2017) begs for and offers forgiveness in a world of torment, guilt and shame. The four piece from Rotterdam, NL picks up where they left off on ‘Tough Love’, yet again translating personal struggle into a sonic representation of weltschmerz.
However obvious the musical progression, ‘All Is Forgiven’ is undeniably a Hawser record, offering hard hitting metallic riffs with the recognizable groove of the band that you’re used to. The first single ‘Snowblind’ seamlessly bridges the gap between ‘Tough Love’ on one hand and the furthest extremities on ‘All Is Forgiven’ on the other hand. Lyrically tackling substance abuse on the track, singer Stijn picks the title of the song as a painful metaphor: being blind to what is right with your eyes wide open. On the other hand it’s a reference to the infamous Black Sabbath song, and we all know what that is about.
For fans of: The Beautiful Ones, Machine Head, King Nine, Incendiary, Trapped Under Ice, Madball.
As much a straight forward modern hardcore track ‘Snowblind’ is, ‘All Is Forgiven’ consists of twelve tracks all across the spectrum of both hardcore and metal. The band opens up musically multiple times, incorporating not only a Metallica-esque intro, but also clean vocals by guitarist Leonard on one of it’s most stand out and longest tracks: ‘Oorlogsmoee’. Single ‘Bury The Hatchet’ features guest vocals by Aaron Heard of Jesus Piece, delivering his gutteral vocals over the heaviest breakdown the album has to offer. The title track ‘All Is Forgiven’ captures Hawser at their most mature. Alternating between clean vocals from Leonard and Stijn’s yells we’re confronted with the albums most haunting lyric: “I would try to break the backs of gods if I could buy you time”.
‘All Is Forgiven’ is sure to leave its mark on you. On this album Hawser is stripped down to it’s core, rid of all it’s teething problems, lashing out with their new grown fangs. ALL IS FORGIVEN is HAWSER as they should be: hard, heavy, and done with inner war.
All Is Forgiven drops September 18th 2020 through Isolation Records / Deathwish Inc.
Named one of Europe’s fifteen most interesting hardcore bands by Alternative Press, Hawser is paving the way to becoming one of Europe’s keepers of the flame. ‘Sing along to the songs of love lost’. With one of the opening lines on the bands sophomore record ‘Tough Love’, Hawser sets the mood of defeat that they hold until the very last song on the record.
With some of the band members being in their early teens when they started, their members initially not only visibly struggled with their personal identity, but also the bands identity in the scene. Solidifying their sound on ‘All Is Forgiven’, the band comes into its own, tackling themes in a way that isn’t particularly traditional to the hardcore scene, while at the same time retaining the scenes ethics.
Maybe that is why Hawser has stood the test of time amongst many other European hardcore bands that came and went over the last ten years. The profound way the band seems to channel certain individual struggles in a universal way that speaks to an extremely loyal fanbase. At the same time the band has retained a sound that is easily identifiable, withstanding any way the wind in the scene was blowing.
The band has toured Europe relentlessly over the last nine years, sharing the stage with bands like Downpresser, Turnstile, No Turning Back, Jesus Piece and Suicidal Tendencies and they are doing another European run alongside Madball, Knocked Loose and Harms Way on the upcoming (postponed) Rebellion Tour.
It’s not just the things you say, but the things you do, and Hawser and its members make no bones about their hardships and hypocrisies. On their upcoming full length, All Is Forgiven, the band begs for, and offers forgiveness in a world of guilt, shame and torment. Forget the tough guy act, enter Weltschmerz. Because when all is said and done, you can only hope that all is forgiven.
All If Forgiven Tracklist:
01. You Can Only hope…
02. Recall & Repent
03. Wrong Side of the Present
04. Bury the Hatchet
05. Oorlogsmoe
06. Hi & Lo
07. Snowblind
08. Luck of the Draw
09. Common Grave
10. Petrine Cross
11. Will to Meaning
12. All Is Forgiven
