Lionheart : "Valley of Death II"

The first hard-core album of 2026. It is coming from this California-based band, which carries a bit of Biohazard-like swagger in its stomp. So East Attitude coming out of Cali is a weird combo, but ok. It works for the first song. There is a slight nu-metal balance, and they are shouting at you about drinking tequila, so they are not straight edge. Kublai Khan TX appears on this one. They bring a tough guy element to it. "Ice Cold" picks up to more of a punk pace. If you love acting a fool during breakdowns, they are bringing them for you. 

The title track grooves a little more. By the time we go "No Peace" it feels like they are crossing over more fully into nu-metal. The sing-song hooks, are catchy but they are clearly a formula midway into the album.  "Roll Call" works well despite only being a minute and a half. Gang vocal accents are produced to give them a much bigger feel than what is typical of hardcore. 'Salt of the Earth" does not dispel any of my theories about this band. 

"In Love With the Pain" feels more like hip-hop in how the lyrics are shouted it out as the syncopated guitars give him room for his ranting. The last song is a minute and a half of white trash cheerleading, which still has a certain charm. This album is fun, plenty of empty calories, but you are not expecting Opeth from this sort of thing. I will give it a 9.