And so they return, fists raised high, hardcore dedication no doubt tattooed on their head and knuckles, bringing back the old school energy on this, their third album. However, rather than wallowing in the overly-used DC hardcore formula, _‘Dedication’ _sees *Raised Fist *take their already pretty intense *Section 8 *style HC even further towards the bracket labelled ‘metal-core’, every track being force-fed gritty down-tuned distortion and rushed, in-your-face vocals.

Egging on this brutal attack is Machine Head / Meshuggah *producer Daniel Bergstrand who seems to have brought with him elements of their ferocity, tweeking a powerfully fast hardcore kick in songs like *‘That’s Why’ and _‘The People Behind’ _where wall-cracking Pantera-style drum beats start to batter you unconscious if you get too close to the speakers.

However, when the word ‘progression’ translates to some hardcore bands as ‘downtune and get heavier’ (Straightfaced, Throwdown...) it can get a bit tiresome. And as good an example of raging hardcore as this is, you’re kinda left hoping for some *real *progression on the next release.