CD REVIEW: GANBARU – Declaration

CD REVIEW: GANBARU – Declaration
Collision Course
23 October, 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
6 ½ /10

Ganbaru is apparently a Japanese word meaning to soldier on through hard times, whilst Declaration was this hardcore punk bands name before a legal challenge forced them to change it. In recent years the band has been beset by bad luck, with a car crash and line-up changes all distracting them from the fun and business of being a rock n’ roll band.

Consequently there’s a lot of anger herein, and at times it sounds like the band are so keen to work through their issues (song titles include Be The Change, Onward/Upward, Determination Calls, Reach Out, Turning Points) that they rush to the finish, losing any subtleties in the songs while they focus only on the aggression and determination they are feeling.

With melodies buried, Declaration becomes a hard slog, which is a shame because there are glimmers of some real class deep down in the mix. Despite that, the aggression and message in Ganbaru’s songs will doubtless have the circle mosh pits whirling full of dervishes… we just hope next time they will have purged their demons before heading into the studio and take half a step back from the abyss before laying their tunes down.

Category: CD Reviews