Band – Magnitude
Album – Of Days Renewed…
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Straightedge Hardcore
Release Date – September 15, 2023
Label – Triple B Records
Author – Hayduke X
My apologies for the somewhat meandering review, which, unlike Of Days Renewed… is not intense, thoughtful, detailed, and to the point. Perhaps a statement on why I shouldn’t review this album and then a statement about why I should (and did) will help my case a bit. First of all, I haven’t consistently listened to hardcore of any variety for many years, since my college days in the mid-90s actually. Any followers of reviews know that various types of extreme metal are in my ears the most these days. I also feel that I was never enough into the genre of hardcore to know how to intelligently place any album, new or old, in its proper context. Friends (both of them) will tell you that I actively look for a writer to specifically cover hardcore, because we are lacking in such coverage. I should review this album though, first and foremost because it rules! I’ve also been straightedge personally since 1998 and I remain edge at almost fifty years old. Those two facts are enough for me to take a swing at this.
Musically, the North Carolina quintet feels very centered in hardcore to me, with maybe some throwback appeal to an earlier style, and definitely some 90s style metallic riffing. In facts, the riffs are a real strength of the album, as they are both tight and varied, helping the music flow in interesting ways over the hard charging bass and drums. Vocally, the album is pretty straightforward with aggressive barks and yells that drop into moments of gang vocals to keep things interesting. The production is clean, but with an edge. The tracks are memorable, with enough distinction between them to play through the whole record back to back, and to pick out favorites, but with a sense of cohesiveness about the album.
The band consists of Russell Bussey (vocals), Connor McAuliffe (drums) Matt Kalbaugh (guitar), Anthony Burke (guitar), and Alex Cejas (bass). They’ve been playing music together as Magnitude since 2017, with the the debut full length To Whatever Fateful End dropping in 2019 and really putting the band on the map.
As the song Through Trials states:
I still believe!
Do you? Whether you do or not, this album is a banger and I’m very confident the band would keep the pit absolutely hopping. Check it out!
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. He is also a contributor to The Metal Wanderlust. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
