Review: Biohazard - Reborn in Defiance

 When we really consider their career in music, it's safe to say that Biohazard have never really gotten anywhere. In their heyday of the early 1990's, their mix of rap and heavy metal which formed the rapcore genre annoyed more people than it inspired and their streetwise sound was never really taken by anyone in an influential manner, with the subsequent rise of nu metal bands looking at Pantera, Sepultura and Korn for inspiration instead. However, the group have seen themselves gain an considerably large-sized following and when the original line-up reunited in 2008, the fans were delighted and eagerly awaited a new release, thus four years later, Reborn in Defiance gives the rapcore fans exactly what they want in astonishing form.

 

 Reborn in Defiance reveals Biohazard keeping up with what has made them so awesome in the first place, as the danceable rhythms of  Vengeance is Mine and chugging riffs that make up Reborn are played in a way that carries a streetwise groove and atmosphere of misery and unrefined anger. However, there's also evidence that the band have worked on this style and have really managed to sharpen it up.

 The group have also managed to perfect their music with a greater emotional atmosphere in their sound with the genuinely bleak feel that surrounds Killing Me and the sense of joy that is found as it can clearly be identified in his words that frontman Evan Seinfeld that he is fighting against this bleakness rather than dwelling in it. ("I gotta take myself away/ I gotta break myself away/ Fuck you and your disease/ It's killing me") The atmosphere of following track Countdown Doom has a much more wonderful victorious atmosphere with a very genuine fighting back message. ("They are the problem, we are the solution")

 It's also cool to see that a lot of the more rap-based moments of Biohazard's music have been sharpened up as well with Vows of Redemption and You Were Wrong creating ambient and clear backdrops to put more emphasis on the rapping, with choruses filled with crunching riffs to create an equal balance. Actually that description makes me think of Linkin Park's music, so imagine my description, but rougher and more awesome and that's what these tracks are similar to. The delicate ambient backdrop is also present in the melancholic closer Season the Sky and to great effect.

 Reborn in Defiance then, shows Biohazard making their finest and most definitive sound of their career and shows their comeback to be a triumphant and devastating one. At least it would be if it hadn't been for the fact that Evan Seinfeld has announced he will soon depart from the group once more to put more focus on his career in the porn industry. So it may be a while until we here any more pure and genuine rapcore music again.

 Biohazard's Reborn in Defiance is out now via Nuclear Blast. The band will tour the UK from January-February with Heights, Lionheart and Dripback.