Album Review: Earth Crisis / Snapcase / Strife – The Return of The California Takeover
Reviewed by Daniel Phipps
Earth Crisis from Syracuse, Strife from LA & Snapcase from Buffalo, three bands who at the time were at the height of their popularity combined for two shows one at the Whiskey a Go Go in LA & the other at the Showcase Theatre in Corona. Victory records later released a split live album featuring tracks from the tour which is widely believed to be the best hardcore live record of all time.
Fast forward to February 2020 and the three acts returned to recreate the magic of those shows in what was dubbed “The Return of the California Takeover” and this set of shows was captured and will be released by WAR records. The album again like its predecessor takes 4 tracks from each band’s performance.
The album opens in spectacular fashion with the Earth Crisis track Forged in Flames. Live hardcore is about energy both from the band and the crowd and by the sounds of things both are doing their part to fill the place with that energy. From here the album mixes between the 3 bands, Snapcase & Strife choosing songs from both of their first 2 full lengths. Snapcase’s live performance is solid however you don’t get the sense that the crowd was at its full potential during the set. Same could be said for the remaining 3 Earth Crisis tracks however I genuinely believe after seeing the set list the ball was dropped on the selection of their tracks. Not that the songs chosen are bad but songs like Wrath of Sanity or All Out War I can imagine being more chaotic. Strife however picks the perfect 4 tracks for this release. Strife do have the home crowd on their side but even without this as they rip through tracks like Waiting, Lift & Force of Change they would have any crowd eating from the palm of their hand.
A cool selection of live tracks from 3 hardcore veterans who prove they can still bring it live. The energy is top notch, but for me I’d sooner listen to a complete live recording of each act than a few live songs if I’m honest. The bands are scheduled to bring these shows to the East Coast in 2022 maybe we get a complete live set collection next.
