“The Golden Age is here and there’s nothing you can do about it” – damn straight it is! Hardcore heroes Your Demise release their third album to critical acclaim but leave their loyal fan base fractured with the loyalists embracing the skate punk inspired sound whilst others have turned their backs on the band. Their last album The Kids We Used to be was everything hardcore should be. Fun, abrasive party hardcore that got you dancing and moshing, screaming and singing all at the same time. Fortunately rather than taking the Gallows route and ditching the fun for more serious tones, Your Demise have kept their unique fun factor and turned it up to eleven.

Skate punk describes title track The Golden Age the best. The riffs and the snare drums build up to lead singer Ed McRae screaming “Brap!” and with the effect of a concussion the song breaks wide open. The guitar and bass riff is fast and heavy and the lyrics are about the band’s cocky ambitions and their “Golden Age”. These Lights is the track that has annoyed fans so much. Its skate punk simplicity and the fact that McRae actually sings rather than screams has hacked off a lot of the fans but for those not so picky it’s a stand out track. Paper Trails is the shock track on the album with McRae singing instead of screaming throughout the entire song. The lyrical content is about finding love in a friend, a tender subject for hardcore. The track also contains one of the first of many guest vocal spots from Dannika Webber from Evarose. Her vocals entwine with McRae’s in a beautiful duet that I never thought I’d see on a hardcore album.

Forget About Me is simplistic, written for good fun with lyrics about their parents and their pride at their career path. The track features vocals from David Wood of Terror and Down to Nothing whose American vocals blend well with McRae’s British vocals. I’m [Not] The One is another stand out track and my favourite on the album with the drummer James Tailby playing an incredibly complex drum beat which is good fun to listen to and and guitarists Stuart Price and Daniel Osbourne bring the catchy guitar riffs. Guest vocalist Jason Aalon Butler from Letlive brings both the melodic by backing McRae’s vocals up and the heavy when he screams his way through the bridge of the track.

I was really unsure about A Decade Drifting before I heard it. Guest vocalist Josh Franceshi from YouMeAtSix has been cropping up on heavier albums as and his voice usually kills the tracks heaviness and unfortunately he brings his fanatical fan base of “Sixers” with him. I was surprised to find it’s a decent track because Franceshi actually makes an effort to make his vocals gruff rather than soft. The riffs are reminiscent of early Blink 182 but heavier and the lyrics deal with the band spending a decade attempting to launch their careers.

I give this album 9 out of 10 as its brilliant mosh-along, sing-along party hardcore and it’s great to see the band making music they want to make rather than following the expectations of some of their more demanding fans. The only issue I have with the band is that bassist James Sampson’s role has been cut down hugely. His contribution is almost non-existent except to back up the guitars. It’s a shame as he is a major part of the live show often laying down bass solos in between tracks. All in all it’s a brilliant third album from a staple of the genre. As McRae says its The Golden Age, Your Demise 2012 b***h.

Thanks to Michelle, Rockhaq and Visible Noise for hooking me up with this record.

For fans of: Last Witness, The Offspring, Brutality Will Prevail

Download: I’m [Not] The One, The Golden Age, These Lights.