Band: The Rival Mob
Album: Mob Justice
Genre: Hardcore
Label: Revelation Records

The Rival Mob is one of those bands in hardcore that has an extreme amount of hype. Like a disturbing amount. Want a used t-shirt on eBay? $40. Want a 7-inch? Don’t even bother looking. When bands have such extreme amounts of demand, it must be for a reason, right? That isn’t always the case. There are tons of bands that are just hype but have no backbone. The Rival Mob is not one of those bands, and their newest full length Mob Justice proves why they are a heavy hitter in the hardcore genre right now.

 I saw this band for the first time this Summer at This is Hardcore, and their singer opened up their set saying “This first song is not for some political bullshit, it’s not for some tough guy pose, it’s not to make us sound like a bunch of fucking romantic poets trying to be sensitive, it’s made for one thing: moshing really fucking hard.” The entirety of Mob Justice is exactly that. The record is going to make you want to punch a whole in your bedroom wall when you listen to it for the first time. You’re going to want to stage dive onto your couch. Straight up, this album is hard as nails. It’s 80’s Boston hardcore at its best. The Rival Mob isn’t trying to be anything it’s not. They aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. They know what kind of sound they want, and they go after it. Honestly, it’s some next level aggression. A lot of times in hardcore, bands feel the need to make their musicianship chuggier to make themselves sound tough. The Rival Mob achieves a gritty toughness that you can tell is born from experience and the streets of Boston. The production is directly in line with the rest of The Rival Mob’s recordings, so you don’t have to worry that because they signed to Revelation Records that they were going to change their style at all.

Lyrically, these songs are straight up tough. Rival Mob’s lyrics aren’t anything super poetic, and they aren’t trying to be something they are not. This album tells you how it is, in plain English, so there is no question as to what the meaning behind the songs are. Some of the most biting lyrics (an admittedly may turn some listeners off, but who cares) include “Friendly Freaks,” and “The Brutes of Force.” Absolutely crushing songs, but lyrically they are very intense and they don’t try to hide their hatred. I find this endearing, but some may not.

If you had to sum up The Rival Mob’s record Mob Justice in one word, it undoubtedly would be hard. Like really hard. This is the album you put on in the car right before you go to the show. This is the record you’re going to get in trouble with your landlord for because you threw your roommate through a wall while moshing in your living room. Plain and simple, if you’re a fan of hardcore, old or new, you need to pick up this record. It will be one of the best of the year. Period.

SCORE: 9.5/10

Written by: Tyler Osborne (Follow him on Twitter)

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Tyler Osborne

Live in DC, grew up in PA. I specialize in writing, filming and taking pictures about punk, pop-punk, and hardcore music, and I also have a huge background in film as well. When not on the site, i'm running my own internet radio show, ToZ's Edge Radio (www.facebook.com/tozedgeradio). I also love stage diving and goldfish.

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