Metallic and maniacal as they wanna be on firestarters like "Purify" and "Down for the Core," the Los Angeles-based hardcore revivalists known as
Donnybrook pay homage to New York's muscular hardcore troupe
Madball on the incendiary
Lions in This Game. Frontman Dre Stewart could hardly be construed as a singer, based on his atonal, street-derived ranting. Fans of the subgenre will either love or loathe
Donnybrook's rendition of District 9's signature number, "Victim," and the classic New York hardcore breakdowns in general, but the limits of the band's energetic, forceful approach tend to affect the appeal of
Lions in This Game -- save for the charged, thumping "Get Your Mind Right" and the crackling, brutal "Fist Over Fist" -- as the set plays out. ~ John D. Luerssen