I am a fan of so called "tuff guy" hardcore, even with it's overly testosterone filled lyrics and monotonous musical elements, it still has a place in my heart. It is important to realize even though most bands in this style sound the same there are differences between good and bad releases. In the case of Donnybrook there is a bit of both. "Lions in The Game" is a true hardcore album in the vein of Madball, Death Threat and Blood for Blood. The music is straight forward with few breakdowns, it's angry, full of profanity and features a few cheesy metal riffs like any good hardcore record should. Each song clocks in at the one to two minute mark and the recording quality is decent, especially for a hardcore album.
Song titles like Check Your Chest, House of Rage and Down for the Core give you a general idea of what they are about. Scott Vogel of Terror is featured on the track Techno-Logic-Kill, which is a song addressing those who talk smack on the net. Lyrically the songs are sub par even for the hardcore, however in their defense, the bands bio does state, "In the end, there is only one possible conclusion you can reach after listening to Donnybrook: This is a hardcore band, made up of hardcore kids, playing for the love of the hardcore scene." That being said I can cut these guys some slack on their writing skills because otherwise they have put out a pretty solid record. It definitely takes me back to the 90's when hardcore ruled my life. The cover of "Victim" by District 9 is a real treat for those of us that actually remember them. This band is a throwback and despite being from LA, they capture the sound of old school east coast hardcore. If you are a fan of in your face, true to the bone hardcore, then Donnybrook is a band to check out.
2.5/4
