Token Entry – The Re-Issues

Holy “where-the-shit-did-you-come-from-and-why-haven’t-I-heard-about-you-before” Batman! Straight out of the late 80’s NYHC scene and into my stereo is Token Entry, a hardcore mainstay for that time period. I will admit, in my musical travels I’ve sort of glossed over New York Hardcore. I know, for someone who’s professed his love for the genre as enigmatically as I have, it’s a shame. This reissue is my opportunity to get to know the boys of Token Entry and relive some history. (I mean, if Civ digs it, it must be good!)

After a short awkward chiming sound, the album opens up with the album Jaybird, which is seriously one of the best hardcore albums I have ever come across, for real. It’s difficult for me to put it into words how exciting it is to hear Tim Chunks howl “though the fire still burns / and the rage still yearns” over buzz saw guitars and rapid drums in the albums” opening track The Fire, but it’s palpable to say the least, maybe even heart-breaking. From that point on you’re hooked to every groove and shout along the band throws at you as they blow through multiple topics, ranging from skateboarding to introspection, but all written in a witty and relatable way. Basically, this album is pure brash, unforgiving gold, from start to finish.

There’s a reprieve in the middle of this album with a quirky cover of Born to Be Wild. It’s cool; weird, but cool.

Then comes the reasoning for my score, the second album The Weight of the World, it’s the black sheep of the Token Entry catalogue. This record too leaves me speechless but not in a positive way. WhereasJaybird was a dose of blistering hardcore, Weight of the World sounds almost as if the band decided to move into a cock-rock direction. Produced by Dr. Know of Bad Brains fame and containing no original members from the original TE, the album sounds like it was almost an experimentation of what would happen if a hardcore band started playing rock songs. The transition is painful, as it’s a lot funkier then the previous musical onslaught, but lacks any real substantial “oomph”. There are a few alright songs, such as Revolution of Values and Lucky Seven, but I’d sooner recommend songs like This Fire orWindows to someone looking to get into the band.

So there you have it, it gets a 3.5 from me because of the unevenness of the record as a whole. I think it’s a pretty fair considering I’d only really enjoy this for the first 11 tracks. Afterwards it gets stale. However I will recommend this band to anyone who asks me about hardcore, because Token Entry may not be as huge as Gorilla Biscuits, Cro-mags, or Agnostic Front but they are on a class of awesome all on their own.