DESTROY ALL CALENDARS
Sophomore EP released in March 2009 on Glory Kid Records (US)
Maximum Rocknroll, fanzine - Aug 2009:
"Great packaging on this record, with a beautiful silk-screened sleeve, and a screened, one-sided record on colored vinyl. But the music is what this all about, right? So on to the music. Hailing from the sunny state of Arizona, RUN WITH THE HUNTED plays fast (as opposed to mosh-inducing), groove-heavy, modern hardcore in the vein of DANGERS or LEWD ACTS, and they play it well. Lyrically they deal with personal and political struggles without relying on clichés or fake-feeling calls to action, and they include lengthy and intelligent song explanations here, something I really wish more bands would do. My only complaint would be that when the A-side was over I really, really wanted to listen to the B-side, which was, of course, non-existent. Hopefully we’ll get an LP from these kids soon."
Apes With Guns, blog - Aug 2009
"Recently I've been on a hardcore kick, looking for the good stuff amidst a whole hoard of mediocre hardcore bands. Well, with Run With The Hunted I found the good stuff, because this short 4 song EP is really, really good. They play a really groove-laden form of modern hardcore, including lyrics about politics etc. that never turn out cliché or anything of the sort. Whenever I listen to hardcore (well most music really) what I look for is real emotion behind the music, the band needs to really care about what they play, and I really get that vibe from these guys. They're really talented and I have a feeling they could go really far in the hardcore scene, granted this is just one (far too short) EP but if they can keep up this kind of quality for an entire LP than I'd be seriously impressed. Run With The Hunted are definitely a really solid hardcore band and I look forward to whatever they release in the future. Check them out."
Sean Loiselle for Scenepointblank.com - Mar 2009
"Vitriol. Passion. Run with the Hunted have them both in spades.
Destroy All Calendars might not turn hardcore on its ear, but it’s an exercise in doing everything right. No matter how many amazing hardcore records I hear, I am just as floored by the next great thing I hear as I was by the first time I heard every classic record close to my heart. And if you disagree, you’re either too old or you just don’t get it.
Run with the Hunted architect four songs founded around Indecision and Shai Hulud, displaying the immediacy of both, with strong noisy flourishes akin to Deadguy or Catharsis. But, this is anything if the typical aping of either niched genre of nineties melodic hardcore or their contemporaries from the other coast’s noisecore, it’s a powerful amalgamation of both without the shortcomings of either. The song structures stray away from banal predictability but never collapse upon themselves into incoherency. And even though the EP clocks in under fifteen minutes, I never find my attention drifting either from knowing what’s coming up next or because I can’t follow what’s going on - it’s expertly crafted, precise, and unrelenting.
All four songs serve to show different facets of the band, but I’ll be damned if the title-track isn’t one of the absolute finest hardcore anthems I’ve heard in years; from the beginning march of the melody to the gratifyingly inventive breakdown closing out the song with Drew screaming, “I don’t want to be a part of it another day,” the song is just immaculate and it’s worth picking up the EP based on the strength of this song alone.
People who had picked up “Find Your Way Out” will be pleased with the band’s leaner, stronger sound and production values. Those who hadn’t heard of Run with the Hunted in the first place will just be appreciative to have what should be one of the best EPs of the year, without a doubt."
The Light Between, fanzine (Germany) – Mar 2009:
“Run with the Hunted come from Phoenix, Arizona, a state not really known for its blooming hardcore scene. So, whether this is of advantage for a new band is unclear. Anyways there are some good bands emerging from that scene and with more bands with the qualities of run with the hunted, Arizona is to be watched.
“Destroy all calendars” is the second EP they are releasing after the one entitled “Find your way out”. And as I knew some of the old songs it is safe to say that run with the hunted have really made a step forward.
The first song “stepping on cracks”, which is basically about human relationships, gives the direction for the record: Straight ahead, always pushing forward and you can already hear one of the strengths of that band. Singer Drew knows how to use his voice and unlike other singers he’s capable of changing the way he sings and thus creates a lot of variation in the songs.
How the next song “Of course it’s dark, it’s a suicide note” works is written right there in the lyrics: “So why help build it up, when we can tear it all down?” That is exactly what they are doing here; they build the song up to reach a climax and then in the last seconds they literally tear it all down again with sheer energy.
“Time and Pressure” then again shows the variability of the band, it starts fast, changes pace, becomes almost spoken word and then starts up again. This song, as all the other songs, is very political but it’s not too obviously, no used-up phrases, but hidden messages behind imagery. You really have to listen to what they are saying and read the provided explanations to get the deeper meaning of the songs.
The title track then is the worthy endpoint of the EP. It starts out with this amazing drums (another strength of the record) the shimmering guitar melody creates a gloomy atmosphere and it all builds up to the final “I don’t want to be a part of it another fucking day”. What else is there to say?
So to sum up: If you should ever need a soundtrack to let your anger or frustration out, music to jump around in your room, or sing along while driving through the countryside, run with the hunted’s “destroy all calendars” is the perfect record.”
Xerox, fanzine - May 2009
"Destroy All Calendars (Glory Kid) One of Arizona’s hardest-working bands, RUN WITH THE HUNTED, recently released their one-sided 12” EP “Destroy All Calendars” which contains four songs, a silk-screened b-side, and a beautiful package. The artwork on the cover (courtesy of Andy Gomez IV of Time For Change and Glory Kid Records) is outstanding, as is the artwork on the b-side. If by some odd chance you don’t like the artwork, the music will make up for that. RUN WITH THE HUNTED’s brand of urgent hardcore brings to mind bands like ONE KING DOWN and SHAI HULUD, but comparisons don’t do them justice – this is a standalone band that future bands will be compared to. The epicicity of their music is off the charts and this album will leave you wanting more. (runwiththehunted.net)"
EVERYTHING FAMILIAR
European release – Collection CD comprising the first 2 EPs
In May of 2009, we released a collection CD comprised of our first two EPs called "Everything Familiar" with Italian hardcore label Refoundation Records. We've received a bunch of reviews for that record most of which are in different languages. The ones in English are listed below, and the rest are hyperlinks to the source pages, categorized by language.
If you happen to be bilingual and would be willing to translate any of these Italian, German or Japanese reviews for us, we would be eternally grateful.
Old School Hate, blog - July 2009
"Before listening to Run With The Hunted’s Everything Familiar album I wasn't really sure what to expect, but after the first couple of songs I was definitely paying close attention. At first glance, Run With The Hunted appears as nothing more than another band doing the hardcore/metal crossover. However, the more I listen to this CD, the more it’s becoming apparent to me that there’s more to this record.
The band was started in late 2006 in Phoenix , Arizona and after two albums released by American labels, they decided it’s time to give European kids the chance to hear what they got to say. Everything Familiar was released by hard working folks from Refoundation Records and comprises all the stuff recorded by the band and previously released only in USA . What you can expect is politically and socially driven hardcore with lots of tempo changes, metallic riffing and vocals ranging from spoken words to scream to typical hardcore shouting. The album can be divided into two parts showcasing the band in their first recordings dating back to 2007, and their most recent stuff recorded in 2008 and released as a 4 track ep on Glory Kids Records. While their earlier work is a typical, nothing above average new school hardcore with a strong metal touch to it, the newest song are more complex and aggressive and overall better. The band is doing a great job creating a sound that incorporates both hardcore and metal with some punk touch from time to time. The band shows its highest potential when they get aggressive and metal, while the “I hate myself” emo parts that rears up from time to time are totally not cool. Luckily, the weak parts are few and far between. I think the greatest thing about this band is their energy displayed in high powered, fast paced parts of the album and they should stick to it.
If you’re an avid Hope Conspiracy, Indecision or Shai Hulud fan, this is something you need to pick up. With lots of skills in the music and a solid production, Run With The Hunted provides you with a powerful album."
Refoundation.it; review by: Bayonetwork - July 2009
"If you are familiar with Run With The Hunted you might already know the songs from Everything Familiar (talking about choosing a suitable title). As the songs on this record come from the earlier releases Destroy All Calendars and Find Your Way Out. The latter was released in 2007 and the former in March of this year. So it might be odd to re-release these songs already. Throughout Everything Familiar I get this nostalgic 90’s feel, at times you get some metalcore influenced parts that remind me of Skycamefalling or Shai Hulud. But a band like The Hope Conspiracy is never far away either. As a last reference I would like to name Modern Life Is War as a good one. Run With The Hunted has a similar passionate way of playing their music and screaming out their words. The songs have this agitating feel and the content of the lyrics doesn’t make you happy either, even more, they give you some food for thought. It’s mostly fast paced stuff except for Excuse Me, Do These Effectively Hide My Thunder. That song has a more epic feel to it and contains some clean vocals as well."
ASICE, Hardcore E-Zine - 2009
"If you are familiar with Run With The Hunted you might already know the songs from Everything Familiar (talking about choosing a suitable title). As the songs on this record come from the earlier releases Destroy All Calendars and Find Your Way Out. The latter was released in 2007 and the former in March of this year. So it might be odd to re-release these songs already. Throughout Everything Familiar I get this nostalgic 90’s feel, at times you get some metalcore influenced parts that remind me of Skycamefalling or Shai Hulud. But a band like The Hope Conspiracy is never far away either. As a last reference I would like to name Modern Life Is War as a good one. Run With The Hunted has a similar passionate way of playing their music and screaming out their words. The songs have this agitating feel and the content of the lyrics doesn’t make you happy either, even more, they give you some food for thought. It’s mostly fast paced stuff except for Excuse Me, Do These Effectively Hide My Thunder. That song has a more epic feel to it and contains some clean vocals as well."
ITALIAN:
kronic
babylonmagazine.net
ondalternativa.it
audiodrome.it
Staypunk.it
Dagheisha.com
www.troublezine.it
JAPANESE:
Retribution Network
GERMAN:
Pitfire.net
www.allschools.de
FIND YOUR WAY OUT
Debut EP released in Sep. 2007 on Rebuild Records (US)
Save Your Scene (Greece)
“You may remember how much enthusiastic I was about this band months ago when I wrote a review about their demo and also arranged an interview. So, I was more than happy to ensure receiving their first ep for review.
Compared to the demo, the ep continues in the same direction that ignited my interest. Mid tempo hardcore, with lots of melodies, breakdowns, and vocals ranging from screams, to clean vocal parts, to sing alongs. If giving band names is what we're supposed to do in a review then I'd go for Indecision, Shai Hulud and Snapcase but in reality the band achieves an even wider range (for example “Excuse me…” is almost a punk rock song). Despite the band is really young their songwriting abilities are really good and there's no chance you'll lose interest for a second out of the 3 minutes that each song lasts per average.
Lyrically and aesthetically this band succeeds again. Both personal and political, the lyrics are set to raise awareness and don¢t hesitate to take a stand about political issues (see “Exit Strategy”). The artwork shows a map of the area where the band comes from, which to me is a successful choice thinking that not many Arizona bands have managed to become really well known in a global basis.
To end this: As time passes by I find myself questioning more and more my place in the subculture we name “hardcore”. After getting to listen and see live lots of bands and meeting many people, day to day I feel I can relate less to what once I thought I'd base my whole life on. I search for the answers and I release that the fire of the hardcore scene I loved and felt that is worth of my thought, time and dedication is not burning so strong. Fortunately enough, every now an then a band like RWTH will come up and re-fuel the fire, ensuring me that I still have a place I can call home. If you feel me, give yourself the chance.”
5.5 out of 5 stars
Punknews – Oct 2008
“It is always a good sign when bands avoid things that discourage you before you even listen to the album, such as: silly artwork, bad band name and cliché song titles. Pheonix Arizona’s Run with the Hunted manages to avoid all these things. The artwork on their debut EP is a simple shot of the map around the area where they come from, their band name is a reference to Chuck Bukowski (I believe, anyway), and their song titles seem to be just random jokes (which I guess could be a cliché, but who’s counting?). While those things don’t directly affect the music, a correlation could be made to the quality of the overall package and that of its contents.
Run with the Hunted’s influences are obviously rooted in metallic hardcore of the past 15 or so years, with Shai Hulud and Suicide File coming to mind most readily. While these aren’t terrible bases to build from by any means, the problem is that there really isn’t any building going on to set RWTH apart. You get all the usual suspects on songs like “Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog” ("Arrested Development" anyone?); the gang vocals, the mid-paced tempo, the melodic guitars behind straightforward shouting, the breakdowns and so on and so forth. If it wasn’t for the occasional sense of urgency, like vocalist Drew’s sigh halfway through the aforementioned tune, there wouldn’t be much potency in the songs at all. Although, I guess emotional outpouring and urgency is a lot of what this is about.
Find Your Way Out, for the most part, deals with loss and searching with an inquisitive, introspective slant. The band helps create a consistent lyrical vibe throughout the album and avoids anything particularly horrendous, but also anything particularly outstanding, aside from the refrain in “Exit Strategy.” Group vocals are almost another instrument altogether that can help give added resonance to ideas and feelings, but one problem with RWTH is they are a bit too gang vocal-happy so it tends to lose that effect.
With better production, cutting down on the gang vocals and stepping out of the template they’ve given themselves, Run with the Hunted could very well make a great hardcore album because all the elements are there for it. Find Your Way Out shows off a band that looks good on paper but the actual results are merely decent.”
3.5 out of 5 stars
