Dutch hardcore rebels Downshot share 'Streets of Terror' single from their comeback album 'Endgame' • GRIMM Gent

’90s Dutch hardcore veterans Downshot will release Endgame — their first official release since their hiatus and reunion during the COVID era — via WTF Records on 17 March. The crew from the infamous “M-Town Rebels” scene has dropped the second single, “Streets of Terror,” off this comeback album.

Downshot informs:

“Video for ‘Streets of Terror’ takes the viewer back all the way to the glorious Nineties and Early-2000s. Authentic Downshot SHC images were used, carefully compiled to follow the lyrics that tell a tale of the onslaught caused by the band live on stage and on these (M-Town) streets.

“The track is more or less the follow-up to ‘Balcony of Terror’ by FIREZONE, the band Downshot members Bob and BEF were in back in 2010.”

Find “Streets of Terror” on your preferred streaming platforms RIGHT HERE.

Pre-Order Endgame on CDs HERE; Pre-Save the album on DSPs HERE.

A fiery act from the “M-Town Rebels” hardcore scene, Downshot was one of the first Eurocore bands to combine hardcore with metal and rap. Downshot, sharing members with Pikkatrillaz, Backfire, Angel Crew, and One Night Stand over the years, initially existed from 1995 to 2004. Their 1997’s “Among the Angels” and 1998’s “Payback’s A Bitch” tracks got them a deal with I-Scream Records for the New League of Hardcore compilation.

Fast forward to Early 2021, when Covid-19 held half the world in lockdown, the Among The Angels and Payback’s A Bitch line-up found themselves in a WhatsApp group in response to the boredom and nostalgia. They planned on releasing the early materials on Spotify and recording a new single for the old times’ sake and for the fun of making music together. All in a day’s work, the veteran line-up completed the track “Where Are You Now.” Being impressed by the song, Tim, a longtime Downshot fan and the WTF Records boss, immediately offered a contract for a full-length album. After some debate, the gauntlet was picked up and the writing process began.

By early 2023, the OG line-up completed 14 blistering hardcore tracks that masterfully combine that mid-’90s Eurocore sound with metal and rap, the way it was done back then but incorporating a modern hardcore feel. A concept album, Endgame breathes nostalgia, but at the same time, it manages to sound both old school and fresh without losing its relevance.

Befriended Hannover, Germany-based ghetto metal powerhouse rapper Daniel Gun provided a hard-as-nails guest performance on “Unleashed,” while Becca appeared on “See the Light” for a powerful duet guest performance with her husband, longtime Downshot vocalist Bef, mixed with boom bap rap vocals and metal energy. The re-recorded version of “Sore” (1998) sounds even more aggressive than the original live crowd favorite. Actually, every track has a story to tell, and the carefully written lyrics express both wistfulness and urgency. For instance, The Brightside‘s track “Downshot” inspired the members to name their band, and the Maastrich-based crew decided to return the favor on this album by covering the track. Since the lyrics of “Downshot” were not printed in the booklet of The Brightside album, Face The Truth, Downshot re-wrote the lyrics and renamed their version ‘Brightside” as a tribute to their heroes.

With these 14 Euro-rapcore anthems, the Endgame is set in motion, and only time will tell where and how the game will end.

Track Listing:
01. Where Are You Now
02. Payback’s a Bitch
03. Unleashed [Ft. Daniel Gun]
04. Sore
05. Endgame
06. Diamond
07. Rika’s Angels
08. Void
09. Streets of Terror
10. Brightside*
11. Inner Rage Pt. 2
12. March of the Innocent
13. See the Light [Ft. Becca]
14. Outro

Credits:

Engineered, mixed and mastered by J. Scharn in Utrecht (NL) 2023.