In their quest to take back the hardcore scene from emo kids and other weak and scared pussy hardcore acts, North Side Kings now releases its fourth full length and its first release through I Scream Records. This Arizona based hardcore act delivers us heavy, straight forward and to the point music. No poetic lyrics, no metal or emo influences, just uncompromisable hardcore the way it should be (according to this five-piece).

With Suburban Royalty we’re presented some classic, aggressive, perfect for in a moshpit, kind of hardcore. Like Madball? You’ll definitely like NSK! This is just a brutal record without the usual bullshit and with lyrics about the daily life street stories of these Italian-American guys. Don’t believe me? I think song titles as ‘Giving Emo Kids Something To Really Cry About’, ‘Street Trash’ or ‘Hustle Don’t Stop (Blood Money Anthem)’ say enough. If for whatever reason you’re still not convinced, you should read their lyrics: “She ain’t nothin' but a gangsta bitch. I’m fucking with a gangsta bitch and I love my gangsta bitch, ‘cause nice girls are overrated”. It could be you think NSK’s hardcore sounds a bit outdated, but for the oldschoolers amongst you, this is surely worth your money.

I must say there are two disappointments on this disc though. First there is the cover of Anthrax’ ‘Among the Living’ and second you’ve got a cover of Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation’. When comparing the two songs, the Anthrax cover isn’t that bad at all. ‘Bad Reputation’ just really sucks, but both tracks shouldn’t have been on Suburban Royalty. All in all I’m glad NSK hasn’t given up the hope to free the hardcore scene from the bad influences, ‘cause Suburban Royalty is a beautiful statement that should be heard.