Dr. Know
Habily - What Was Old Is New

Leading figures, if not creators of the Nardcore movement, Dr. Know, not to be confused with Dr. Know of Bad Brains, carve out a small paradise in Southern California for "headbangers." Together with R.K.L. and Ill Repute (just to avoid listing a myriad of bands), they organize hardcore punk concerts and skate-based parties for fans.

The album couldn't start better: “Watch it burn,” their most famous song; the guitar introduces, a burst of drums, and we're ready to smash our bones. Fast, fast, and fast, no other adjective can describe the entire album, there is no pause and musically they are impeccable.

Unusual vocal lines, the voice dominates despite the difficulty all the power of the instrumentation. "Innovators" I might dare say, a small distant parenthesis for a future Nu Metal, not to mention the influence on the Californian Thrash scene. I repeat once again unusual, given the changes of time and key that often emerge in the songs, the guitar solos unlike the thousand "crushed" notes usually heard in albums of the genre, convey something extremely angry, precise, and edgy. And yet, funky, an adjective I never thought I'd pronounce, but in all that chaos of distortions, I perceive a hidden element that makes it all "bouncy," elegantly nervous. The drums don't stop for a second, a relentless tight rhythm, as the album flows, I'm overwhelmed by the energy so much that I don't realize it's already over.

All these compliments without listing a flaw? Well, the flaw might be the blatant similarity between one track and another, the constant grinding of guitars and the lack of a second of pause, but for some guys, myself included, there's nothing negative in the list, quite the opposite, a valid reason to get this album, as I've already done.

Recapping after listening to tracks like “Watch it burn,” “Saviour,” “Egomaniac,” “Mr. Freeze” (yes, the one covered by Slayer) and “God Told Me,” I can only give the highest rating to this album, not only for the music it contains but also for the education it provided to an entire generation and not just punk and metal musicians.