Force 5 Records

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Midwest Bands reviews the cd
Midwestbands.com
In November of 2002, we did a review of the demo that SORE was distributing, called Who Can Hang?. That disc had 4 songs on it that are also present on their full length CD, Entitled Source of Raw Energy. I'm not sure if the first disc was released before the full length album was done, or if it was made to distribute as a promotional tool. At any rate, we now have the full length disc in hand!

I hope that you will pardon me, but I will probably refer back to the review done back in November quite a bit; a lot of my feelings about SORE aside from the music are still true. They are a hard-working group, doing everything that they can to promote themselves and get their music out there. Again, this year, they are getting themselves to several festivals and playing as many big events as they can get. I admire them for getting out there and promoting themselves! Its very true that if you dont believe in yourself, and if you arent your biggest fan, nobody is going to find out who you are, or what you are about!

I also still believe that the band stands out because of the lyrical content. However, there is a lot more rap on the full length CD, and while the lyrical content is still good, it becomes a lot more cliched to me. There are still songs that have a lot of meaning; in fact, a song called I Gotta Fight has a lot of content that sounds like the thoughts of an individual struggling with an addiction of some sort. Other songs, though, simply resort to telling you, the listener, that SORE Rules, and that anybody that gets in their way will get hurt (paraphrased). The rapping, courtesy of The DRP, is very street tough and in your face, and gives the impression that he is the baddest street thug in Milwaukee. He actually explains on their website that this attitude is the result of emulating guys from the street that he was around as a kid, but that he hasnt been drawn into the street lifestyle. If you didn’t know it, though, youd swear that he lived and risked death on the mean streets! It adds a totally different dimension to the band than that seen on Who Can Hang?, and for me personally, I wasnt as fond of that dimension. The songs are done well, and while theyre not as commercially viable as other bands in this particular genre, they are still good songs! I was impressed, too, by the fact that lyrical credit is shared on the song All in Check by The DRP and Busta Rhymes! Its a personal taste thing with me, and not a lack of talent on the bands part!

SORE exhibits a lot of energy on this recording; the rhythm section provides a very heavy, driving beat, and guitars are thick and very powerful! As mentioned above, the vocals/rapping on the disc are also very powerful! Favorites musically were Snakes, Sore Spot, and All In Check. I also like the more melodic songs that were on Who Can Hang?, like Namesake (still my favorite song from this band!), Position, and Dark December. There is another song on the disc that is more melodic, called Life; in a lot of ways it seems out of place on the CD, mainly because of the lyrical content! It is basically a prayer, expressing to God the way that the author has lived to try and please Him, so that the Afterlife will be assured. I guess in comparison to the gangsta feel of the rest of the CD, its odd to hear a song like this one. In a way, though, I think it fits the feel of the CD in that it expresses hope in a very dark and desperate life. For me, I got a mental picture of a person who has lived a very rough life on the streets, doing what has to be done, all the time trying to live so that God is pleased with him. In that context it is a very powerful song.

Im not really sure what else to say at this point. I think the members of SORE are very talented individuals who have set their sights on success! When a band has that sort of drive and attitude, there arent many things that can stand in their way!

As I recommended with Who Can Hang?, Ill recommend that you pick up a copy of Source of Raw Energy! It isnt exactly everything that I look for in a musical experience, but for people fond of hardcore, metal, and rap-metal, this is an album that is right up your alley! Get your copy now! When theyre famous, youll look like a musical genius!---Mark Lush, MWB 7/18/03 *Listen to SORE on MWB RADIO!
- Mark Lush - Midwest Bands

by Jedd Beaudoin
jbeaudoin@f5wichita.com


STOP PICKING AT IT YOU'LL ONLY MAKE IT WORSE: The metal dispensers of S.O.R.E. are set to do a two-fer in the ICT. COURTESY Photo

lthough Milwaukee doesn't have a music scene comparable to that of, say, Seattle or even Chicago,the beer city has spawned a number of diverse acts, whether singer-songwriters such as Willie Porter and Peter Mulvey, the indefatigable Violent Femmes or BoDeans. And now there's S.O.R.E — Source Of Raw Energy — a rap metal sextet bound for the round and, maybe one day, glory.
The group, whose music has been featured on ESPN, HBO and an upcoming film starring Gary Busey, hits The Game this weekend for an all-ages show with aggressive but melodic Angst Driven, Another Word, Zero Cell, Vyreal and Mind Lock Down (Is that a lineup or what? Make sure you thank the folks at The Game) on Friday and a second (all-ages) show on Saturday with Dog Fashion Disco, Wolfpac, Oddzar and other metal luminaries.
Bands are scheduled to hit the stage Friday and Saturday starting at 5 p.m. Under 21? Have $7 ready at the door; 21 and up pay $4.
S.O.R.E. has played shows throughout the Midwest and will make its way to California and Colorado before coming back to Wichita in November. Experts indicate, however, that seeing the band before and after they've been to El Ay will yield the best results for your health, happiness and street credibility. - Jedd Beaudoin (F5)

S.O.R.E. - Source Of Raw Energy

Location Milwaukee, WI

Initial Impression A rap/metalcore band from Wisconsin, that has a link on their website to Vanilla Ice. Oooooh boy...

Notable Lyric "I'm that pimp, I'm that playa / I'm that hustle muthafucka / Try to take from me it's 6 feet deep for a sucka / Spotlight shinin' on the show bum rusha / I'm the melody assassin, I'm the microphone crusha," from "H8ters."

Factoid S.O.R.E. won a $10,000 Jim Beam sponsored recording contract in 2000, played at the Midwest Music Conference in 2001, played "the Big Gig" (Summerfest) in 2002, and have songs in two films and an extreme sports video.

Serve With Space enough to move. It's not possible to sit still for a band with a double bass drum.

Comments Boy, was I blown away by these guys. Solid, solid music. With the rapid-fire discourse of Reveille, Metallica-esque guitars, and the melody of Sevendust, S.O.R.E. are doing exactly as they're meant to. Their music creates a wall of crunching fury, and the lyrics pace back-and-forth in this self-exile. Favorite tracks would be the earnest "Namesake," pulsing "Sore Spot," "Spent The Time" which would sound great as a duet with a female (raises hand), and first single, "Dark December."

While I can't say this is an album I can 'relate' to, it's absolutely one that is going to get repeat performances in my CD player.

URL www.sore-s5.com

Reviewer Jaimie (3/03)
- Jamie of Score Music Magazine

Ahh, it's Christmas time again. Time for presents, good cheer, and of course, SLAMMIN' SANTA, the Rave's local heavy metal showcase. Now in it's fifth year, this culmination of the cream of Milwaukee's metal acts keeps getting bigger and bigger. One day, anyone of these bands may tour with Metallica. Until that Christmas wish comes true, come support them at The Rave Bar on Saturday December 20!

Thick and powerful guitars characterize Milwaukee natives SORE. This rap/metalcore band wields the rapid-fire discourse of Metallica-esque guitars and the melody of Sevendust through crunching fury and a chaotic stage show. The band recently released their debut CD Source Of Raw Energy, and are set to slam into the big time. The band says on their website that they expect to see "the old heads who have been down since day one" when they return to The Rave, their "hometown haunt."
- Therave.com (Venue)

An Eternal Farewell
40 oz. Fist
New Society of Anarchists

Ahhh the pleasure of this "job" is unless I am being sent somewhere, I get to pick and choose where I go. So when I hit The Exclusive Company for CDs, I check the fliers. I came across one for a hardcore show. Hot damn, people are still making that stuff? Well, the reason I happened to go to this show was primarily because of the recommendation of one man. A man I met briefly in 2003. A man who is a living legend. A man named Billy Milano (See my bio for my brief encounter with Billy). Anyhoo Billy said it was good. I followed his lead. It's been ages since I have seen a good hardcore band and damned if I was going to pass up this chance. There were several bands playing, one had to be good. Off to MySpace to check out and see what I was looking at. The show got a two hour late start, so we did miss one band.

Been a very long time since I have even seen a show at the BBC. And that was a mid-evening show of a friends band. BBC has remodeled some. They have a nice set up in the upper level for shows now. Small yes, but hell, its a great place to get a start and get a following. And for the most part it sounds a helluva lot better than some places.

First up is a group of younger kids in a band called An Eternal Farewell. Self described as "Brew City Mosh Core," they sound somewhat Pantera-esque. They are having their second show of the day (first being a pig roast) and it's their third show with their new bassist. Not bad over all, the singer really got into it, and the band as a whole is a very high energy group. A little thrash, a dash of some hardcore sounds, a splash of death in the vocals at times. A very nice mix.

This is where it gets hard to describe. Hardcore is a hard thing to explain. The sound is definitive. Angry, hostile, forceful, and glorious all at once. You need to scream for hardcore. You need some anger somewhere in your soul. But you need to also have some talent. It's a very working class guy type of music (or in my case working class broad). It's a mix of punk, thrash, speed, and hostility. It works the aggression out of your soul and you leave a show pumped up. Then you get home and you have a Zen-like relaxation. Ok, maybe its just me. But that's why I've always liked hardcore. Music to work your anger out on. I have music for moods. Hardcore is my aggression killer. It helps me work it out.

40 oz Fist was pretty darned cool with the dual vocalists. One high and one low. I really did enjoy the dueling vocalists, gave them something different to entertain me with. A six-piece band from Milwaukee, that is something that is a standout. This is hardcore. Almost had a big guy fall in my lap running up to the window sill from the pit. Tables knocked over. Small crowd, but they were into it. A few songs the guys did were "Lesser of Two Evils," "What's Yours is Mine," "Come Get Some," and "Break Free."

Now for the band we actually planned on seeing. I tried very hard not to get to know them or any other band playing. I wanted to go in with no impressions and have the bands make them on me. New Society of Anarchists has been said to be true hard,core by Milano. Well if you remember the old school hardcore, this is the best way to say what this is. I was really taken by the bassist's Zakk playing. It almost has a slap funk undertone. To kinda explain what I heard, if I mention a bassist's playing think Robert Trujillio in his ST/Infectious Days. Robert is my bass GOD and if I mention a bassist the sounds are much along these same lines. The bass was very ST Style. A few songs played, "Conviction," "The Few, The Proud, The Brutal," "Gang Mentality." This is what I remembered hardcore being, and I can honestly say I'm eagerly awaiting writing a review of their upcoming CD For the Forgotten.

I'm glad I found hardcore is still going. While other shows have mosh pits, I've seen that hardcore shows are the only shows where in the pit you can punch someone in the face and get up and then hug that person. Hardcore pits are the only ones I ever avoided.
Posted by Cindy Steinle in Concert Reviews at 08:06 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
- Cindy Steinle