1997 was a great year for fans of christian based hardcore music. Not only did we get groundbreaking releases from the likes of metal kingpins turned metalcore poster boys Living Sacrifice and hardcore legends in the making Strongarm, but we were also treated to great releases from upstart bands such as Zao, Training For Utopia, Innermeans, Warlord, and veterans such as Overcome; all with a very distinct take on hardcore and metalcore. Arizona’s Overcome, who had previously released a solid hardcore album on Tooth and Nail Records with 1995’s Blessed Are The Persecuted, provided a massively under-appreciated metallic hardcore masterpiece with their 1997 Solid State Records follow-up When Beauty Dies. Where their previous work was heavy, paint-by-numbers hardcore, When Beauty Dies was an exercise in blurring the lines between hardcore and metal. While not quite a “metalcore” album, When Beauty Dies was definitely a harbinger of the genre; marking the beginning of a transition from “spirit-filled” hardcore to metalcore as the genre of choice for young christian hardcore kids. Not only was the album heavy as an anvil, it featured great lead guitar work, something in contrast with the simple, chugging riffs that were a staple in hardcore. The guitar work was in fact where you see the biggest metal influence on the album, and was the biggest difference from Overcome’s previous albums. The only knock on the album in my opinion is the production, or lack there of. I love my metal and hardcore sludgy and dirty sounding, but this is even thin when compared to similar albums of the time. That complaint aside, When Beauty Dies is one heavy slab of metallic hardcore. A vital piece of christian hardcore and metal history.
Soundtrack of the Underground 