Artist: Casey Jones
Album: I Hope We’re Not the Last
Genre: Hardcore
Label: Eulogy Records

In the straight edge community, it’s nearly unacceptable to not be a fan of straight edge bands, including pioneers Minor Threat, Boston hardcore band Have Heart and metal group Throwdown. But as a straight edge girl myself, I’ve always found it difficult to get into the music scene centered around my lifestyle choices. Though I could relate to the lyrics, none of the music ever really spoke to me. That is, until I heard Casey Jones’ self-released third album, I Hope We’re Not the Last.

Not an album for the faint of heart, Hope is pure, thrashing hardcore from the very first track, straight edge anthem “Hammer The Nails.” Vocalist Josh James is fiercely confident in both his lyrics and his delivery, as he screams the lines, “When will you see/The words I scream are reality/Pure, clean and free/I’m not these things, they are me.”

Relentlessly fast and aggressive, I Hope We’re Not the Last clocks in at just under 25 minutes. Being straight edge is obviously a huge focus lyrically, but not so much so that it becomes excessive. In fact, perhaps the greatest facet of this album is its unapologetic honesty and rawness. Though Casey Jones have been around for eight years, they haven’t conformed to the passing trends of the scene. Instead, Hope is simply a no-frills, no-holds-barred onslaught of flawless hardcore.

In addition to “Hammer” and second track “Butt Hash,” “Fisher Price My First Friends” is another stand out track, where the riffing guitars and high-intensity drumming stand out behind James’ dynamic growl. The band doesn’t even let up on their final track, “I Hope We’re Not The Last,” which is the most melodic song on the record. The guitar solos build up the track beautifully, as James continues to scream, “Not breaking up or breaking down just moving onto new grounds/A time for change has shown it’s face/But we still move against the grain.”

Unfortunately, it seems these lyrics are referring to the fact that this is the last we’ll be hearing from Casey Jones. The band announced that this record is their final release, with the band members moving on to pursue their other projects. Thankfully, I Hope We’re Not the Last leaves the band’s iconic legacy stronger than ever.

Score: 9/10
Review written by: Rebecca Frank

• Author
• Recent Posts

James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

Latest posts by James Shotwell (see all)

• 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
• Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
• UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015