Band: Every Time I Die
Album: Ex-Lives

Label: Epitaph Records
Home Base: Buffalo, NY
Genre: Hardcore, Southern Rock, Punk, Metal, Other
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Standout Tracks: Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space, I Suck (Blood), Touch Yourself
FFO: Forward-thinking heavy tunes.

From the debut of the Ex-Lives album cover featuring a real photo of a rabble-rouser being swarmed on by riot police whilst sporting an Every Time Die T-shirt during the now infamous G8 summit protests, I had the feeling this was going to be exceptional effort from one of hardcore’s most intriguing bands. Introducing the first recorded work with new drummer Ryan Leger, Every Time I Die’s Ex-Lives is already a definite contender for best of 2012.

The album dips into the angst and timeliness of Hot Damn-era ETID and takes it up a another notch. Amen.

If 2009’s New Junk Aesthetic wasn’t quite enough to toss you overboard, it’s time to get re-acquainted with this quintet. Ex-Lives serves up a plethora of meaty riffs at smoking tempos, Buckley’s renowned lyrical contexts and deliveries are stronger than ever, and Leger incorporates double-bass drumwork for the first the time in ETID’s 13-year career.

There’s no doubt about it, Every Time I Die are back in big fucking way. Don’t feel obliged to take my word for it, you can stream the album in it’s entiredy below courtesy of Epitaph Records.

**Note: The embed player below is taking down an incredible amount of plays at the moment, you may have to refresh this page to view it properly.

Review by Joshua T. Cohen