Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM
There’s something uniquely visceral about Biohazard that sets them apart in the sprawling landscape of heavy music. While countless bands have attempted to marry hardcore punk’s raw aggression with metal’s crushing weight, few have managed it with the authenticity and street-level credibility that these Brooklyn natives bring to the table. “Divided We Fall looks to once again cement this.
The guitars have a chunky, processed quality that some purists might bemoan, but there’s no denying the sheer weight they carry. Billy Graziadei and Leo Curley’s riffing retains that characteristic Biohazard groove – that lurching, pit-friendly swagger that’s made them legends of the New York hardcore scene – but it’s wrapped in a production sheen that occasionally feels at odds with the band’s underground roots.
Opening track “Fuck The System” wastes no time establishing the album’s sonic template. The verses pound along with mechanical precision, Evan Seinfeld, and Billy Graziadei’s dual vocal approach as confrontational as ever.
Where the album truly comes alive is in its mid-paced grooves. “Eyes on Six” has always been Biohazard’s sweet spot – those passages where the tempo drops, the guitars lock into an irresistible chug, and you can practically see the circle pit forming. Tracks like “Death of Me” exemplify this perfectly. The song builds around a central groove that is absolutely monstrous, the kind of riff that gets into your bones and refuses to leave. When the band lock into these moments, all questions about production choices and commercial aspirations fade away – this is simply Biohazard doing what they do best.
Danny Schuler’s drumming throughout deserves considerable praise. He has always been the engine room that drives Biohazard’s sound, and here he proves more than capable of handling the album’s varied demands. Whether pounding out straightforward hardcore beats or adding subtle touches to the more experimental passages, Schuler’s performance is consistently solid. The rhythm section as a whole – with Seinfeld’s bass providing hefty low-end reinforcement – gives the album its foundation, even when the songs themselves do not always capitalize on that sturdy base.
“War Inside Me” represents one of the album’s genuine highlights. Here, finally, we get Biohazard at their most uncompromising.
The song strips away some of the glossier production elements and just lets the band be brutal. It’s a reminder of what made them essential listening in the first place – that ability to channel genuine street-level aggression into something musically compelling. The breakdown (naturally) is absolutely devastating, the kind of passage that exists purely to wreck venues and test the structural integrity of stages.
“Tear Down The Walls” highlights the band’s ability to craft genuinely memorable hooks without sacrificing heaviness. It’s the kind of track that works equally well blasting through speakers or being shouted back at the band in a sweaty club. There is an authenticity to it that some of the surrounding material lacks – you believe every word because you can hear that it comes from somewhere real.
“I Will Overcome” attempts to inject some energy into the album’s latter stages and largely succeeds. There is a genuine sense of urgency here, a feeling that the band are pushing themselves rather than coasting on autopilot.
The question of authenticity looms large over any discussion of this record. Biohazard built their reputation on being uncompromisingly real, on channelling the genuine experiences of growing up in Brooklyn’s toughest neighbourhoods into their music. Does a cleaner production job and more obvious hooks diminish that authenticity? Not necessarily – bands evolve, circumstances change, and artists have every right to explore new sonic territories. But there is no denying that something ineffable is lost when you sand down the rough edges that made a band distinctive in the first place.
In the final analysis, “Divided We Fall” is a solid, if not exceptional, addition to the Biohazard catalogue. It contains moments of genuine brilliance that rank alongside anything they’ve produced but also passages that feel like they are going through the motions. For a band capable of the raw power displayed on their earlier work, which is somewhat disappointing. But disappointing relative to the very high bar they have set for themselves is still far better than most bands manage on their best day.
This is an album that rewards repeated listens, which reveals additional layers with familiarity. Initial impressions might be mixed, but there’s substance here for those willing to dig beneath the polished surface. Whether it represents a successful evolution or a misstep depends largely on what you value most about Biohazard. If you’re after that raw, unfiltered hardcore aggression, you will find it here in doses.
Speaking on the new album, guitarist Bobby Hambel comments:
“We are really excited to finally have the classic BIOHAZARD lineup back together in the studio. This album has been a long time coming, and the record is straight from our hearts – we can’t wait for everybody to hear it, and to head out and play these new songs live. See you out there!”
Tracklist:
- Fuck The System
- Forsaken
- Eyes On Six
- Death Of Me
- Word To The Wise
- Fight To Be Free
- War Inside Me
- S.I.T.F.O.A
- Tear Down The Walls
- I Will Overcome
- Warriors
- Band Members:
- Billy Graziadei – vocals, guitar
- Bobby Hambel – lead guitar
- Evan Seinfeld – bass, vocals
- Danny Schuler – drums
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