"Reign Supreme"
"Reign Supreme"
Reign Supreme are one of the heaviest/hardest metallic hardcore bands to surface from Philadelphia in over a decade. Led by former Blacklisted member Jay Pepito on vocals, they wield the same devastating musical hammer as bands like Crowbar, Terror, and Integrity. Yet come out swinging with a conviction and rage unlike anyone before them.
Reign Supreme has their sights set on accomplishment here. With their self-confident band name and album title and roots in the VFW hall hardcore scene, with this material, the band has clearly made the decision to position themselves for bigger things along the lines of Hatebreed and Terror before them. By simplifying the riffs, attempting straightforward anthemic lyrics and never missing a chance for a breakdown, it seems as if they have their sights on breaking into the mainstream metalcore scene. The result is easily the most mainstream-accessible release that Deathwish has ever put out; however, the trade-off has left a release with little musical or emotional depth.
Sonically, the production is heavy on compression, giving this record an incredibly thick and full sound. Vocalist Jay Pepito unleashes an impressive scream that is reminiscent of The Beat Goes On-era Blacklisted with touches of Phil Anselmo to add sprinkles of melody. The drums and guitars are performed succinctly and this band fully commits to the sound it is after. The record even starts out promisingly with "Mother Superior," which is reminiscent of Carry On. That is, until the halftime breakdown – complete with chugs. Unfortunately, this is a trend that Reign Supreme follows for the rest of the album. In "Persevere and Overcome," they actually skip the fast part and just start out with the breakdown under the lyrics "I will bow to no one," but, you know – spread out with gang vocals: "I…WILL…BOW…TO…NO ONE." People will mosh to this for sure – just not me.
To spend some more time with the lyrics, take "In Absentia": "I'm only halfway human…the rest of me is machine. I am reborn." Chugchugchug chugchug chug chug chug. Did I mention that this is a mosh record? How about the next track, "Failure": "You can't run from the truth. Every time I try I fucking fail"…breakdown buildup…"Whooooooa…I FAIL"…breakdown. Later, they get kind of posi in "And Come What May": "We'll always carry each other…we'll carry on." Guess what happens next…wrong! The song ends without a breakdown. Pretty sneaky.
In conclusion, Reign Supreme has probably succeeded at what they were attempting. They've created an extremely accessible piece of heavy music that you can totally mosh to…you know, if you're into that.