Over the years Sacramento's Hoods have served tenures at labels like Stillborn and Victory, and while they've never managed to break into the mainstream, they have surely managed to break some bones. Staying true to their tough guy hardcore roots on "The King Is Dead", the band offer up a raging smashmouth style that is frenetically paced and dripping with lyrical venom.

Not a single song on this record clocks in at over 3 minutes and for the most part the group stick to the raw metallic hardcore designed to make a circle pit flow at the speed of a whirlpool. Very loose, very aggressive and very assuredly in your face, they bark out (and gang shout) their blunt lyrics with admirable determination and grating musical prowess. Clearly when it comes to heart, the band have it in spades and thus it is easily distinguishable within their music.

However, while some dirge-like instrumentation is experimented with on a few tracks, there's still a lack of individuality that puts them in a class of their own. Even so, a band like Hoods don't sound as though they are out to change the world so much as they are out to try and change the people. In that regards, "The King Is Dead" is often an empowering listen. Even if those who've already worn out their Sworn Enemy and Madball records may not find much new to chew on here.