Editorial Reviews

This handy CD summarizes the career of Colin of Arabia to date: four tracks from a single; their half of three different split EPs; and one compilation track; plus a heap of live tracks, including many songs not featured in studio versions. Colin of Arabia's brand of hardcore has a slightly punkier edge than that played by most of their more metal-minded brethren. These guys really sound like they could have been playing shows at CBGB in the brief window between the 1,000-mph Minor Threat/Bad Brains/MDC years and the rise of N.Y.C. bands like Agnostic Front, Sick of It All, Gorilla Biscuits, et al. Their gang-shouted background vocals owe more to Oi! than Biohazard; their tempos seem intended to inspire actual slamdancing rather than the ritualized poses of catharsis that are the modern mosh pit. The live tracks sound like they were recorded on someone's cell phone, but that only serves to emphasize the raw impact of the band's on-stage fury. These guys aren't trying to do much, if anything, beyond carving out a space for themselves in the U.S. hardcore scene, but this disc will please scene diehards as well as folks who just stumble across it. ~ Phil Freeman, All Music Guide All Music Guide

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