Finally, something new . . .

This album blew me away. Not because of slick production or cheap effects, but because of the heart and feeling put into the songs within. Most of the songs are written for sing-alongs and mosh pits, exactly what most listeners want.

Introduction to the Family starts off with Dodgin' Bullets, a band comprised of members from No Innocent Victim, xDisciplex, and Shockwave. Influences from each band are easily distinguished in the track, which is best described as pretty decent hardcore. There's nothing particularly amazing about the song. It's even slightly disappointing, considering the people involved. But overall, it's solid.

Next up is Figure Four. Do not let the cheesy name fool you. This is an awesome new hardcore band from Canada. Straight ahead, Spirit-filled hardcore at its finest. Not metalcore, mind you. This is old school, baby, and it's good. They sound a bit like NIV, but the vocals and riffs are just different enough to be original.

Born Blind adds two tracks to the album, and what should be another set of amazing hardcore songs turns into crap, because of the horrible mix they have. Everything is flat and muted, save for the vocals. It was really hard to listen to the songs, because everything is difficult to make out, and in that sense, just plain disappointing.

Two tracks from Overcome finish the CD, one new. "Child's Dead Innocence" shows the progress that Overcome has made as a band, with a brutal sound reminiscent of their old sonics. Killer breakdowns and massive double bass pedal work mesh with Jason Stinson's vocals to create one of the most awesome and danceable songs to come out in a while.

On this CD, you'll find some new, old-school hardcore bands and plenty of heart. This is a good CD, not the best compilation in the world because of some bad production, but it's still so much better than most everything out there that you won't mind.