Biohazard Albums (9)
What The Critics Say
Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't argue with the fact that Biohazard played a major role in popularizing a style which emerged from the underground during the 1990s -- an oft-copied merger of hardcore and heavy metal. Other bands may have leapfrogged over the boys from Brooklyn sales-wise, but Biohazard continue to crank out albums and tour regularly, as evidenced by their eighth studio effort overall (and their first for the SPV label), Means to an End. Released just over ten years after their best-known and best-selling release, 1994's State of the World Address, End shows that there are still plenty of things in this world that get under Biohazard's skin. As with all their previous releases, brutal riffs, spot-on drumming, and angst-filled hollering are offered up in hefty doses here, especially on such standouts as the album opener, "My Life, My Way" and "Killing to Be Free." Expectedly, there's not an awful lot of variation on this release , but that's the way Biohazard fans like it -- non-stop pummeling from beginning to end. The godfathers of the hardcore metal genre are still alive and well -- Means to an End is all the proof you need. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Kill Or Be Killed was originally going to come out in late fall 2002 under the title Never Forgive Never Forget, and cover art that featured a cemetery surrounded by city buildings appeared on websites. This was an obvious allusion to the 9/11 attacks that struck Biohazard's members particularly hard given their status as proud New Yorkers, however the heavy-handedness of it all made the band rethink and scrap those plans, though the eventual release under the new name would feature most of the same songs.That Biohazard was still standing at this point was a minor miracle; despite personnel moves and the thinly veiled bitterness at being on the foreground of the rap-metal movement, but emerging without the payoff that so many who touted the Brooklyn bashers as an influence and toured with the band subsequently garnered, they refused to go away. While their tenacity should be commended, Kill Or Be Killed continued the steady decline in innovation and intensity that has been ongoing since the early Urban Discipline release.Whether it's just because their urban Metalcore narratives have gotten redundant over a decade on or the spark of creativity that made such material captivating at one point is gone can be debated. The rap element of the group is downplayed somewhat, but Biohazard sounds tired; the riffs don't bite as much as sit there, the bravado sounds forced, and even the addition of guitarist Carmine Vincent, who was original member the band in the mid �80s before they started recording, doesn't spark the generic material within. ~ Brian O'Neill, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Biohazard's 2001 release, Uncivilization, seemingly picks up where New World Disorder left off, with the guys escalating their style of thuggish hardcore while exploring different musical textures. The album opens with the disc's first single, "Sellout," a rough punk/metal hybrid underlined with rich, meaty grooves. "Uncivilization" brings to mind old-school Biohazard, with singalongs and a scorching guitar solo that should please any die-hard metal extremist. One of the disc's best songs is "Wide Awake," a track laced with that thug rap that Biohazard has embraced in the past but without any smug posturing common to most mainstream rapcore. Unfortunately the disc veers off shortly thereafter, meandering into song after song of special guest appearances. Those guests include the almighty Phil Anselmo from Pantera, Hatebreed's Jamie Jasta, and even a few of the Slipknot crew, yet their appearances tend to draw from the album instead of enhance it. The end result is an album that is less an example of one band's continuous ability to rock while purveying street-smart messages at the same time, and more of a chance for Biohazard to jam with their fellow friends in the music industry. This makes for an enjoyable album, but is a bit disappointing for a fan looking for another solid block in Biohazard's legacy of hardcore. The songs on Uncivilization that are strictly Biohazard may be some of the band's best material, but ultimately the overflow of guests hinder what could otherwise be a cornerstone in Biohazard's lengthy career. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Biohazard continues to polish their metal/hardcore/rap fusion into a seamless, singular sound on New World Disorder, featuring guest appearances from Sticky Fingaz, Fear Factory's Christian Olde Wolbers and Sepultura's Igor Cavalera. The band doesn't really introduce any new ideas here -- they're simply refining their old ones -- but that will be enough to satisfy their not insignificant following. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'No Holds Barred: Live in Europe'
Release Date 8/12/1997
Tracks 24
Label Roadrunner
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Drawing most heavily from Urban Discipline, but hitting most of the high points of all of Biohazard's studio albums, the hour-long No Holds Barred is the definitive live document of the band. It probably won't win the band any wider audience, as most songs aren't that different from the original versions, but then again, it's intended to be a concert souvenir for fans, many of whom will have probably seen the group live. Although the unconverted might find much of No Holds Barred too same-sounding, Biohazard's rap/rock fusion is more convincing than most, and they bring a great deal of energy to their live performances; this will be a necessary item for any devoted Biohazard fan. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Between their first and second major-label albums, Biohazard trimmed their lineup to a trio, which had the effect of focusing their attack. Where they have had the problem of being a little too diverse in the past, ricocheting from metalized hip-hop to rap-inflected hardcore, the band has now concentrated their energies into creating a singular, piercing sound. There are still elements of metal, rap, and hardcore punk on Mata Leao, but they are fused into a cohesive whole, which makes the album more effective than the previous record. Biohazard still has a problem with writing strong riffs and convincing lyrics, but music has more power and finesse than their previous releases, and that actually sounds better than the raw, edgy chords that powered their intial indie records. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'State of the World Address'
Release Date 5/10/1994
Tracks 14
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Biohazard's Urban Discipline introduced the band's one-of-a-kind, Brooklyn thrash-rap sound to hardcore fans outside the five boroughs. It's an authentic mix of inner-city vocal rhythms with metal's take-no-prisoners attitude, one that granted them international credibility. Urban Discipline is an original hardcore metal-rap album, debuting a half-decade prior to the rap-rock explosion of the late '90s. It is defiant and distinctive -- in some senses a precursor of bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, and the Deftones, and in other ways in a class all its own. It's not the self-indulgent, "I-gotta-get-mine" rap-rock of the late '90s, as it's loaded with social criticism. It's a blue-collar metal record made by rough-shod, tattooed, fighting men. The album's highlight is "Punishment," a hard-charging anthem with a surprisingly melodic chorus. This hook was strong enough to earn them moderate playtime on MTV, even though nothing else sounded like them at the time.Though intended merely as simple music for slam dancing, Biohazard does well to mix things up within those parameters. The group successfully rearranged their typical song structure with divergent bass, drum, and guitar parts in "Shades of Grey." They're technically competent enough to implement light crescendos and decrescendos, tempo variation, and a diffuse focus of the instruments within the band. It's not Mozart, but it is one of the most authentic combinations of thrash and rap ever made. ~ Kieran McCarthy, All Music Guide
