The line between “Hardcore” and “Metalcore” is often very blurry and justifies a little explanation as to how the term is used here. Simply imagine a Punk Rock band that throws in a lot of Heavy Metal elements into their music. The Punk Rock element is still dominant, but the Metal part is very strong which leads to a mixture which *I* prefer to call “Hardcore” and for which the Cro-Mags are absolutely representative.

“Near Death Experience” leans a bit more towards Heavy Metal though which many Old School Hardcore fans probably find to be a bit of a letdown. Especially the 3^rd song “War on the Streets” could easily have been released by many ‘real’ Heavy Metal bands. But then, so what? That is something that Punk Rock fans might complain about, but I see no reason why this should bother a Metal fan. Especially fans of rougher Heavy Metal might want to give the album a try due to its roughness, dirty attitude, and raw energy. In fact one can easily imagine how a song like “Kali-Yuga” can get a mosh pit started in no time while the Cro-Mags bath in their own sweat on stage! Even calmer and slower songs like “Near Death Experience” are still pretty intense and while they are likely to give both the band and the fans a chance to slow down a bit, they do not exactly offer a real break. So yes, if you happen to be into extreme Metal then you might really want to give this album a try. It is worth it!