Well, that has to be my favourite punk rock oxymoron – ‘melodic hardcore’. And yet Toronto’s Choices Made pull off this trick with considerable aplomb, welding massively hooky riffs onto a personal/political lyrical core that results in a snarling, pummelling, brutal 8 minutes of high-energy and – fuck it – singalong, socially aware punk rock. In an odd sort of way, the Reason For Conflict EP is understated, despite being a full on and massive aural assault. The difficulty for hardcore bands has always been to capture the energy and excitement of the live experience. Choices Made have turned this around. This EP sounds magnificent and the band have avoided the usual hardcore trap of attempting to impose unnecessary production value onto what is, after all, a musical form ...
