You need to listen to “Fort Orange.” First, because it proves my point that hardcore doesn’t need to be only senseless screaming, second because I challenge anyone to pack such an amount of energy in just under 23 minutes!

After The Fall put together a succession of two minutes explosive tracks, never forgetting to pack a few memorable hooks in between evil riffs, and the result is a bit like the new Relentless Energy Shot: tastes even better than the full version, you get a hint of disappointment when the small bottle empties so quick, until it goes to your head and you realized a bigger can would be way too much caffeine to handle in one go, and that little shot is just perfect.

Tracks like ‘Decapitate’ or ‘Armpit’ are just what hardcore punk is meant to be. There’s screaming, but it’s not perforating any eardrum, the drums speed is hardly human, the guitar is incendiary, and in all its loudness a melody still clearly emerges to give the noise some sense. ‘Macho Bullshit’ even throws in a brief but enjoyable rock guitar solo. ‘It’s her choice’ is definitely not my choice, being a bit on the senseless screaming end, but the following track ‘Bummer’ brings “Fort Orange” back on my favourite list in just one minute!

After The Fall let us wait four years since their last release, but it was well worth it, every single second of the 22 minutes of “Fort Orange.” These New Yorkers have clearly put some serious work into this album, maybe more than some have put into pompous double albums.

Come on, have your energy shot today, you know you want it! Warning: having more than two listens a day of “Fort Orange” will NOT be dangerous to your health.