Beneath the Wheel (Victory Records)

Cause for Alarm

By Brent Starkey

While writing for Hard Times (R.I.P.) I got VERY familiar with Victory Records and their output. Most of what I could sell ended up in used bins (I'm not a fan of Hardcore), but Cause For Alarm's "Cheaters and the Cheated" was a keeper, though I realize that I haven't listened to it since reviewing it. This is also a keeper. It's still hardcore, but there are a few songs that really 'stand out' and do it for me. "Cleanser," with the dual male-female vocals, and "Rich Get Richer," with the unusual (for this genre) guitar signature, are chief among them. Lyrically, they are quite concerned with all things Krsna: "Never asked for a higher place, pure love from Krsna's grace/His words were gold never cold, the greatest King the world has known" (from "Prabupada"). There's no sense of humor within and I probably won't put it on much (if at all), but I am going to keep C.F.A. around. Great drummer too.