The Chariot
Long Live

This is an extreme band in every sense. Not only do The Chariot spend their time relentlessly touring, but they also manage the band in an almost entirely D.I.Y. fashion and refuse to adhere to the dreary standards of the "scene" that is unfortunately associated with them, namely modern hardcore, which in my opinion is more smoke than fire.

This band is completely different from many others, especially when examining the details beneath the armor.  
"Long Live" brilliantly continues the discourse of the previous "Wars and Rumors Of Wars," taking everything to an even more personal level.

Recorded almost entirely live, this album is pure violence. Not the studio-fabricated violence, but honest, pure instinct that shines through the songs: Monotonous and hammering riffs, eardrum-scratching feedback, tempo changes, and breaks so "human" that a metronomic quantization could never create.

The Chariot plays hard and uncompromising music, which for me has much more in common with bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat or similar glories of the early '80s hardcore wave than with the overly polished bands such as Underoath or Norma Jean (which Josh Scogin, frontman of The Chariot, promptly abandoned for this much more genuine project).

The genre is what it is, and The Chariot certainly hasn't reinvented the wheel, but listening to "Long Live" I can't help but think that the band's musicians have rather eclectic views and tastes. My "suspicions" are confirmed by this album, especially in the brilliant track "David De La Hoz," a brilliant collaboration between the band and the very peculiar artist Listener.

It is absolutely worth watching this video, which demonstrates the ingenious recording process of the aforementioned track and somehow sums up the spirit of the group.

I saw them in concert and it was one of the most violent events of my life. I consider myself lucky to have returned home with just a few scratches and bruises!