Counterparts’ The Difference between Hell and Home
Released in summer of 2013, but experiencing renewed interest because of Counterparts’ growing popularity, the 11 tracks of The Difference between Hell and Home are in the genre I refer to as melodic hardcore punk ~ think Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage and even As I Lay Dying…in other words, the album and the band are pretty much in-your-face metal. With a motto of “Stab us with your knife collection,” could they really be anything else?
Counterparts, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, have that raw, roaring, guttural intensity that gets crowds going ~ with lyrics that, though bordering on being delivered in that go-to phrase for people who don’t understand the heavier genres, “cookie monster style,” remain intelligible ~ yet still manage to offer a pretty decent melodic level on several of the album’s tracks.
I’ll freely admit that I’m not always a fan of the aural assault that Counterparts seems to have mastered, but some of the songs from The Difference Between Hell and Home did hold my attention. “Cursed” was by far my favorite and the best produced track on the album, with “Compass” and “Wither” rounding out my top three.
The full track listing is:
Lost
Ghost
Debris
Outlier
Witness
Decay
Compass
Wither
Cursed
Slave
Soil
The band killin’ it at South By So What 2014
Counterparts has played shows and festivals all over the world, sharing bills with bands like Comeback Kid, Terror, Hundredth, Lionheart, The Wonder Years, Expire, and the insane line-up of this year’s South by So What, featuring some of the biggest names currently playing live these days, and they’re at that “on the cusp” place in their careers that most bands who make it big look back on with a grin: they’re obviously about to make a serious impact and “blow up” on the music scene, but they’re still at the point of asking fans if anyone has a place where the band can crash after a show (seriously…it’s on their Facebook page!).
We’ll be checking Counterparts out live at both Amnesia Rockfest in Quebec (June 20-21st) and at the 16th annual New England Metal and Hardcore Fest in Worcester, MA (April 17-19th), but until you have a chance to see them live, first take a look at this list of upcoming dates and then below that, at some stuff from the band to tide you over.
Mar 24 Black Lion Sandy, UT
Mar 25 Marquis Theater Denver, CO
Mar 26 Bottle Neck Lawrence, KS
Mar 27 Mojoe’s Joliet, IL
Mar 28 Magic Stick Detroit, MI
Mar 29 Magic Stick Detroit, MI
Mar 30 89 North Patchogue, NY
Mar 31 The Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 01 The Lost Horizon Syracuse, NY
Apr 03 Palladium Upstairs Worcester, MA
Apr 04 Strange Matter Richmond, VA
Apr 05 The Roc Bar at Brewster’s Jacksonville, FL
Apr 06 The Roc Bar at Brewster’s Jacksonville, FL
Apr 07 Cypress Hall Metairie, LA
Apr 08 Fitzgerald‘s Houston, TX
Apr 09 The White Rabbit San Antonio, TX
Apr 10 Blackwater Music Albuquerque, NM
Apr 11 Nile Theater Mesa, AZ
Apr 12 Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA
Apr 13 Southern Nevada Sports Centre Las Vegas, NV
Apr 15 Dirty Dog Bar Austin, TX
Apr 17 Palladium Worcester, MA
Apr 19 Palladium Worcester, MA
May 07 Coco Cabana Nightclub St. Catharines, Canada
May 08 Club Absinthe Hamilton, Canada
May 09 London Music Hall (Rum Runners) London, Canada
May 09 Virgin Mobile Mod Club Toronto, Canada
May 10 London Music Hall London, Canada
May 11 Townehouse Tavern Athens, AL
May 14 Park Theatre Winnipeg, Canada
May 15 The Exchange Regina, Canada
May 16 The Gateway Calgary, Canada
May 17 BONNIE DOON HALL Edmonton, Canada
May 20 Cactus Jacks Kamloops, Canada
May 21 Level Nightclub Kelowna, Canada
May 23 Astorino’s Vancouver, Canada
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Check out their guitar prowess for yourself in their series of Guitar Demonstration Music Videos HERE.
Watch Counterparts’ “Witness” video, directed by Max Moore, from The Difference Between Hell And Home, here.
Catch a clip of the band’s performance of “The Disconnect” in Oberhausen here.
Verona Records is pressing their first record, Prophets, originally released February 2010, +2 unreleased songs, on vinyl (head to counterpartsmusic.com for more details, shipping starts May 20th), and you can check out the lyrics to some of their earlier songs here.
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So ~ if you’re into music that smothers you in screams, heavy guitars and constant drum beats, check out Counterparts ~ chances are good you’ll quickly become a fan.
You can get more dates and information about the band on their official website and on their Facebook page ~ don’t forget to Like them, and while you’re at it, Like Flashwounds, too!