Album review: Fox Lake – New World Heat

Going all the way back to Rage Against The Machine, Biohazard and Body Count, there’s a long history of bands planting their flags on the common ground between hardcore and hip hop. Colorado trio Fox Lake are certainly operating in familiar territory, but their second album nevertheless proves that this remains fertile soil.

New World Heat packs a timely punch, its heaviest impulses sharing the chunky power of Knocked Loose or Jesus Piece. Not for nothing are frontman Nathan Johnson’s first words on the album ‘Buckle up!’; the tune in question, For The Love Of The Game, is a calling card identifying Fox Lake as a band gunning for maximum impact, an imperative equalled by closer Excessive Damage.

The hip-hop influences are pretty textbook: turntablist record scratches embellish many of these songs, while Nathan’s vocal delivery is clearly influenced by the rhythmic flow of rap. More inventive elements bring memorable results, as on appropriately-titled single Pure Adrenaline, which runs on similar energy to House Of Protection. On the other hand, Cold Hard Truth and Savior hew closest to RATM, with lyrical intensity and glimpses of Tom Morello-style guitar trickery – and demonstrate there’s still a thrill to be found in this old formula.

There’s an extreme mid-album handbrake turn, when the suitably speedy barnburner Real Fast is followed by the laidback beats of summery instrumental h a l f t i m e. For the most part, though, Fox Lake blend their ingredients in parallel, identifying the similarities in attitude and sound that unite breakbeats and beatdowns, MCs and moshpits. The recipe might not be new, but it definitely packs heat; this cocktail is a Molotov.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Rage Against The Machine, Stray From The Path, FEVER 333

New World Heat out now via MNRK Heavy