Reissues from a band shouldn't always be released. In some cases the band have progressed eons from the point they recorded their independent releases or their debut records. With Terror's reissue of their debut, Lowest of the Low, this is not the case. With one of the purest (and maybe hardest to fumble) formulas to work with, Terror have stuck with their roots from day one, as evidenced by this release. Magnum forced breakdowns and an irate vocal delivery combine to create a tracklist of twelve devastating studio efforts. As a bonus this edition of Lowest of the Low, a set from half way around the world ends the disc. Most of the studio renditions of Lowest of the Low are executed masterfully to an audience in Tokyo, Japan. Perhaps the only aspect of Terror that could turn a listener away is that they've pidgeon-holed themselves into one genre. While it's admirable to see a band stick to it's roots, an open-minded fan of music expects their favorites bands to evolve. When they don't, arguments of a band "releasing the same album over and over" and "all the songs sound the same" can arise when uninformed listeners of Terror get their hands on it. Overall, the disc is a testament to what Terror has been doing since day one and a proper salute to hardcore's innovators. I'm sure the originators would collectively conclude that Terror have endured a career that's culminated in the band successfully capturing the essence of hardcore's infant years.

To some, playing hardcore music is a career, to Terror it’s a lifestyle. Terror pulls their sound from the old school hardcore books. The band does their best to bring the music brutal backed by an aggressive vocal attack. Terror can currently be found on M2 and Fuse with their video “Overcome”. The hard work ethic of the band shows in the live performance which will be coming to a stage this summer as the band tours with Lamb of God, Poison the Well and Opeth. Just under a year since their last release, One With the Underdogs, Terror has taken the first eleven songs they ever wrote, a cover song and some live recordings and thrown them together on Lowest of the Low. This was the music that started it all for the band and serves well as the foundation for what terror is about. The throaty vocals of Scott Vogel lead the brutal attack on songs like “Nothing to Me” and “Keep Your Distance”. The music stays raw and brutal from track to track. Terror has done a great job of taking classic hardcore and making it their own. I think Lowest of the Low gives a good picture of where this band came from. The live recordings give a great taste of the bands live performance. Terror is another solid act that puts a punk attitude with a hardcore sound.

When you’re a hot label, you can reissue CDs and give them steroids. Which is very fitting, because you take a band like Terror, who’s meaty riffs, vocals, and overall stance is already tough enough to make the guys in the UFC seem like pussies, and beef up their soon-to-be classic debut Lowest of The Low, you’re left with nothing less than anti-tank artillery in the contained within a 4” X 5” jewel case. Terror is one of the better bands out there in the genre of “tough guy” Hardcore, but they do it right and they do it well. Trustkill took their debut and added a live set to it, giving you 2 for the price of 1. Fine, sit there be stupid and don’t buy it. Your loss!

Okay, so nowadays the reissue is usually trash but when I heard "Lowest Of The Low" was getting reissued I became excited because this album is a great example of hardcore. Now the quality of "Lowest Of The Low" originally wasn't too sharp, but they must've put a lot of time into the remastering because it sounds great. Then you also get a demo, I guess, that was recorded after "Lowest Of The Low" originally was. Then you get a live set that at times you might lose the vocals but that's most likely due to sing-a-longs. But in most live sets that are recorded the sound quality is great. Also this allows for you to hear how energetic of a band Terror is live. The cd booklet comes with pictures of their crowds reaction to their music, and when you hear their music you'll understand how you can go crazy. This album is just packed full of goodies for the true fan to Terror. I definately advise this over any reissue around.

The new tracks are in the same vein as the album-simple answer brutal, the best being "out of my face" just for its more metal edged sound, ferocious in the verse but more precise in delivery. The opening to the live album is great with front man Scott Vogel screaming "what the fuck's up Tokyo we are Terror from California. Thanks for having us." Never before has a genuinely appreciative comment been said in such a manner. "Don't need your help" is an early pick with its aggressive melody and structured fury while pure metal tracks such as "life and death" and "push it away" pick the atmosphere up. As Vogel screams for more mosh pits, more stage dives and more mayhem, the set erupts. All I can say is that if you like your noise turned up high and aggressive mosh pits then get your arse to a Terror show. What they have packed onto one disc would have easily made nice double cd effort in a nice cardboard sleeve but just like the balls-out nature of their music it's not surprising that the album is a straightforward affair. These days we have hardcore, post hardcore, emocore, noisecore, apple core, earth's core and they are all pissed (and spat, puked and shit) on from a great height by the boys from Orange County. Straight hardcore noise is all we need.

"Back to where it all began – bigger and more brutal" Described as “Quite possibly the most uncompromising band in hardcore” in their bio, Terror (who formed from the ashes of Buried Alive and Carry On) draws upon the old school methods of the likes of Agnostic Front and The Cro-Mags for their brand of hardcore. They released a couple of 7” singles (Don’t Need Your Help, Live And Death) before their mini LP Lowest Of The Low became the prelude to their split single with Ringworm and their 2004 debut long player One With The Underdogs. Now well established with Trustkill Records (who released their debut), the label has moved to re-issue their mini album with not just one or two extra tracks, but with a total of three extra studio tracks and ten live tracks – all with new packaging and liner notes as well. Now THIS is hardcore. Originally released as a mini album on Bridge Nine records back in 2003, Trustkill are doing it even more justice than the original by including several bonus tracks as well as healthy helping of live tracks as well. Smashing you square in the face, the nine original tracks are a truly ruthless display of pure hardcore. Check out the aural brutality of Better Off Without You and Don’t Need Your Help and tell me you can’t feel heaviness in the intro to Nothing To Me before it picks up pace. The fury continues with Keep Your Distance and Another Face before a more mid paced but no less aggressive Push It Away delivers another blow. The blink and you’d just about miss it Life And Death, What We Have Done and the title track (which features a crushingly slower paced mid section) wrap up the original mini album in around 17 minutes. Phew! Due to the distinct lack of bass in the mix, the slightly weaker sounding Dag Nasty cover Can I Say (from their 1986 album of the same name) and the two tracks from Terror’s split EP with Ringworm, Out Of My Face and Nothing To Lose, don’t have quite the same impact as the original material. The real bonus for fans is the live material recorded in Tokyo in September 2003 which was originally only available on the Japanese version released by Alliance Trax. The ten live tracks are the entirety of the original mini album plus Nothing To Lose from the split single with Ringworm. The guitars are a little soft in the live material but in essence, it captures the spirit of a Terror live show showcased on the strength of tracks like Better Off Without You, Nothing To Me, Push It Away and closer Keep Your Distance. As far as re-releases go, they really have to offer up something rare and special in my eyes to rate high on the bang for bucks meter. Rounded out with some brief liner notes from the band, this is a complete collection of both studio and live material from Terror and it’s a great representation of what the band is all about and also a value for money collection for both fans of the band and those who are curious to find out what all the fuss is about.

I shouldn't need to run through the history of Terror at this point, so I'm going to forego that stuff. This is a re-release of the band's "Lowest of the Low" EP, which was originally put out a few years ago by Bridge Nine. To make it more worthwhile, the disc has been given an all new layout with liner notes and song explanations from vocalist Scott Vogel, as well as tacking on bonus tracks from their Deathwish Inc. released split 7" with Ringworm and an entire 10-track live set recorded in Tokyo. Good stuff. When I reviewed the original release I referred to it as "fast, heavy, vengeful fucking hardcore with no bullshit", and that still stands. Expect concise tracks that never hit three minutes, chock full of heavy hardcore with massive breakdowns. I honestly like this first EP better than "One With the Underdogs" simply because the recording's better. It just sounds crisp as shit with a perfectly heavy guitar tone, a clear mix, prominent basslines… it's just well balanced and hits like a ton of bricks. No complaints from me. "Don't Need Your Help" is fast and has a traditional framework with a little added heaviness, "Nothing to Me" has that NYHC sort of groove to it, "Another Face" has a metallic edge that totally kills, and "Push it Away" blends a Madball-ish sensibility with catchy breaks and a severe dose of mosh that certainly delivers in full. The first of the bonus tracks is a cover of Dag Nasty's "Can I Say", which may have been unreleased prior to this, I'm not sure. But Dag Nasty rules and this cover is surprisingly true to the original on a musical level, so I'm all for it. The songs from the split 7" are, of course, exactly like the band's other material, with "Out of My Face" retaining a little more midpaced heaviness than average. The sound on these three songs is disappointingly thin and much quieter than the EP tracks, so it probably could've been mastered more efficiently, but whatever. The live set was recorded in September 2003 and runs about 23 minutes. The sound is a little muffled, as expected, with the vocals falling back in with the music and the bass getting lost, but it's listenable. As with many such hardcore bands when it comes to live recordings some of the singalongs can get annoying since it's just not the same when you're not there in person, but that's not such a big deal. The layout looks fine, but it's nothing to write home about. You'll get a photo collage and lots of orange textures with ultra crisp text for the lyrics. As with the lyrical content the liner notes and song explanations are totally honest and sincere, pulling no punches: "Big mouth, no heart. My hate for you just fucking grows. In and out of every trend. Never backed the things you said. The loudest are the first to go, so fucking go. Seen your kind many times. Big mouth, no heart. In shame, disgrace. Fist to your face." I'm all for that, as well. The only reason I gave the original release a higher rating is because those nine songs from "Lowest of the Low" are a perfectly to the point dose of sheer force, and you absolutely cannot lose there. The bonus material on this edition definitely fleshes out the disc as more bang for your buck, but I've never been a fan of live recordings, and while the added liner notes are great, I'm not blown away by the layout or the mastering job, since those original nine songs are still crushin' everything else herein. But this is still a damn solid release, and if for some reason you missed out on the original version, you'd be foolish not to pick this up. Say what you will about hype, but it's a simple fact that Terror is without question one of the best and most sincere hardcore bands out there when it comes to this niche of the genre, and I'm a fuckin' fan.

Many people were surprised by how quickly Terror seemed to take over the world. When the whole world seemed to be screaming "screamo," Terror was only satisfied with straight, solid hardcore. Now they've played Europe and Japan. Where did Terror come from, anyway? Maybe like me you thought "One with the Underdogs" was their first release. You were WRONG. So gosh darn wrong. Oh yes. Now they're re-releasing their debut album "The Lowest of the Low" on Trustkill, and I don't think the fans could be happier. It's often difficult to go back to the old stuff after you've fallen in love with the new stuff, but you'll come to appreciate this gritty, growling, unforgiving album. And for those of you who have been following Terror from the beginning, this will be a tasty treat for you. The extra live tracks from Terror's Tokyo tour are icing on the cake. All the tracks are marked by Terror's signature style: short, fast bursts of power, straight-talkin' lyrics, and relentless fury. However, these songs, in contrast to their newer ones, depend almost completely on profanity to get the message across. It's unfortunate when a band trades lyrical clarity for shock value. On another bad note, the live tracks suffer from a poor vocal recording. Half of the time, you can't even hear what Scott is saying. A good note, however: there's nothing quite as satisfying as hearing him scream "I ... NEED ... MORE ... MOSH PIT!!!" between the live tracks. I like this CD, I really do, but I find it lacks the depth and purpose of "One with the Underdogs." Still, "Lowest of the Low" started the tidal wave known as Terror on their initial path of destruction, so it stands on its own merit as a worthwhile release. I give it one thumb up - one fine, head-banging, hardcore thumb up.

Ok, unless you live in Tibet then you are more then likely familiar with Terror. Here is what Sparky said about this album a few years back: When I saw the name "Scott Vogel" on the inside of the cd, I knew Terror was nothing but good things. Boy was I right. The ex-Buried Alive vocalist has teamed up with an all star lineup to form one hardcore's most straight forward and ass kicking hardcore bands: Terror. Right off the start you can hear the Buried Alive influence, not only in the vocals, but in the music as well. The music is destructive and all consuming. It reminds me a lot of a faster hybrid of Hatebreed and the aforementioned Buried Alive. The riffs are very well constructed and show some serious speed and at times complexities. "Lowest of the Low" is filled to the top with punchy verses and crisp, pit inspiring breakdowns accompanied by demoralizing, in your face lyrics. It doesn't get any better than Terror. The only advice or attempt at an explanation of how good this album is, goes a little something like this: just go get it. That's all. Terror is a band that will take over hardcore with or without the right promotion. That's how good "Lowest of the Low" is. This is a band and album that will take the scene by storm and it'll happen so fast, you'll never know what hit you. I don't think I'd be overstating it if I said Terror has all the potential to be the next Hatebreed. 'Nuff said. So with that, should you purchase the re-issue? The answer is yes. The three bonus tracks are classic terror assault. If you want to swing a fist the punk/hardcore riffs and Scott having a full on temper tantrum, then you will want to have the record! The live material is the meat of the re-issue. If you are a Terror fan, then this will be where you get pumped! I have a killer surround sound system at home, and I made my own personal pit with my cats and wife too this live shit. Bear with Scott when he misses the lines during the live material. You know how hardcore shows are...they tend to be "interactive"! Whether Terror is new or old hat, this reissue is worth the time. I could care less about the new artwork, but the live shit rocks, while hearing "Better Off Without You" live is just freakin awesome! Pit Scale: 10, Sparky gave it a 10 the first time, and it is still a 10 now!

First of all, if you've not experienced the hardcore kick in the face that is TERROR's "One with the Underdogs", go buy the damn thing now! Give thanks that bands like TERROR continue to play real hardcore — violent and uncompromising, blue collar and true. Thanks to the good folks at Trustkill, you're now given even more of a reason to purchase TERROR's debut album, "Lowest of the Low", originally released on Bridge Nine Records. In addition to the original nine tracks, you get a cover of DAG NASTY's "Can I Say" and two tracks from the RINGWORM split ("Out of My Face" and "Nothing to Lose"). The disc is topped off with 10 scorching live songs from a performance in Tokyo (all nine tracks from the debut plus "Nothing to Lose" from the split). The sound of the studio tracks is more rough-hewn than what's heard on "One with the Underdogs", perhaps performed with a greater sense of urgency and hunger. It's hardly a stretch to say that fans of "One with the Underdogs" will eat up this re-issue. A compact delivery, bone-dry guitar sound, hard-as-nails drumming, and Scott Vogel's harsh bark make the bash-and-groove of "What Have we Done" (that bass rumble and those gang shouts are monstrous) and the venomous hate of the title track delightfully vicious. The sound takes a dive on the band's cover of "Can I Say", a thinner mix and volume drop the culprits, though it's not much of a problem and the old school feel of the tune bleeds nostalgia. Both songs from the split release fare better in the sound department, "Out of My Face" marked by a fat riff and "Nothing to Lose" closing the studio portion in fist-fighting form. As soon as Vogel screams "What the fuck's up Tokyo?! We're TERROR from Los Angeles, California! Thanks for havin' us! Set it off!" the tension and raw energy of the live set is palpable even before the first notes of "Better Off Without You" are played. The set itself is nothing short of blistering, the members clobbering the Japanese crowd over the head with a gigantic hardcore baseball bat! Quite a package, isn't it? Talk about bang for the buck.