Artist: Die Young TX
Title: Chosen Path EP
Release: 7” | 12” (one-sided) | CD | Digital
Year: 2014
Label: Headfirst! Records (North America), Ugly and Proud Records (Europe), Vegan Records (South America)
When few years ago I heard Die Young TX were no more I was pretty angry. However I spent the next few years playing their records a lot, especially Through The Valleys In Between, so it didn’t really feel the band was gone. However when my mate Nikolay at Ugly & Proud Records told me Die Young are back and he’s putting their new stuff in Europe on a vinyl I did hit the roof with full force.
“A rite of passage through the darkest of times
Led me to the light on the other side”
~ Rite of Passage
I admit I got the promo for this record months and months ago, but got to reviewing it just now because I wanted to experience it on vinyl first. Chosen Path is available in few versions. You can get it on a 7” in North America, on a one-sided 12” in Europe and on a CD in South America. I’m certainly not a vinyl nerd, neither I collect all colors, editions and shit, but wanna mention the 12” looks great, the inner sleeve of the gatefold has some exclusive photography by Desislav Lilkov, shot in the mountains near Sofia, Bulgaria. And side B of the vinyl itself has a pretty cool etching, certainly the better choice than having the side not only empty but plain and boring as well.
Music-wise the Chosen Path is offering us something I doubt you wouldn’t be expected. I guess I won’t surprise you if I shoot some adjectives ranging from rough, metallic, political and cold as I presume visiting this site means you have already done your homework and have been a Die Young fan for quite some time. I find the Chosen Path not so determined and angry but more of soaked with escapism and desperation. Even though the lyrics are certainly not blatantly emotional or suicidal, but grim, pissed off and personal. I loved the sound Die Young had in their “Through The Valleys…” era, especially on the Loss 7”, but I love their sound now even more. Craig Douglas at Origin Sound and Brad Boatright at Audiosiege did hell of a job making this record not only a raw, but a massive and fierce reminder what Die Young meant and will certainly keep meaning for the scene.
There’s only one thing they should do as soon as possible – fucking return to Europe!
“I was once young and broken
By the world and thoughts of injustice”
~ Conditioned
