REVIEW: No Apologies - Life

This week, Sydney hardcore legends No Apologies make a powerful comeback to the scene with the release their eagerly awaited album Life. New releases usually spark a familiar buzz of anticipation, but with Life the excitement carries extra weight, as it marks the band’s first release since their 2007 debut Survival.

After such a long wait, the pressure to satisfy long-time fans while engaging a new hardcore audience could be immense - but Life shrugs off those concerns from its opening notes. It’s immediately clear that the sonic chemistry of the founding members Pete Abordi and Peter Bursky - who have been collaborating since the late 90s - as well as the rest of the outfit; Andres Hyde on drums, Chris Wilson on guitar, and Patrick Taylor on bass, is not only still known and felt, but stronger than ever. 

With its unflinching exploration of grief and loss, Life offers a real and raw portrayal of life and death. Hardcore - a genre built on emotional harshness, intensity and catharsis - provides the perfect sonic landscape for such themes.

‘Womb/Birth’ kicks off with anticipatory abstract guitar tones layered over the echoes of a didgeridoo, a subtle but respectful nod to the aboriginal people of Australia, a notion that No Apologies are consistent with across their work. Breaking the atmosphere with thrashy guitar riffs that the band have been known for since their inception. Lyrically this album takes us through the darker sides of grief, but with this opening track there is a sense of pride, Abordi stating "From here to eternity, I will remain".

We pick up pace moving into the title track for the album, the first of many on the record designed for the release of a circle pit. The opening sentiment is one that stands out - "When I’m in the ocean, I’m with you, it doesn’t matter where", before moving into the chorus with "Life goes on!" Abordi shared on social media that the lyrics include direct quotes from his late father, a loss that shaped the album in its entirety, solidifying the track as a bittersweet insight into the ways that lost ones remain with us and what else is left to do once those we love have moved on. 

‘Time’ opens with the visceral ticking of a clock, immediately hitting us with chunky all-consuming riffs. A momentarily sludgier tempo that forces a moment of pause, as Abordi declares that "Time heals nothing". The following track ‘Illness’ keeps the energy high, blending melodic guitar motifs with lyrics that explore the nuances of human morality.

Flipping the album tonally on its head, ‘Palliative Tomb’ stands out as a beautiful landscape of comfort in the journey of emotional turmoil throughout this album. A crashing outro demonstrates the expansive feeling grief leaves with you, longing for healing. Moving into ‘Loss’ and ‘Hollow’, we return to the fiery temper of the album and No Apologies thick and thrashy roots, an impenetrable reminder that they are more than deserving of Australian hardcore veteran status. 

We move into ‘Grief’, the first of two iconic features on the album. The steady and syncopated pace feels perfect for Jem Siow’s (Speed) iconic vocals. Leading into ‘Eternal’, a brief chaotic track featuring another iconic voice of hardcore, Todd Jones (Nails, Carry On, Terror) guaranteed to get the most apprehensive of fans moving if they, by some miracle, haven’t already by now. 

The album leaves us with ‘Peace’ which has a resounding sentiment of resilience in finality, setting intentions for the future of the life long journey that grief takes you on, with the guttural final lyric of "Hope!" as the guitars play us out. 

Life is an album that stays true to No Apologies sound, 18 years on from their debut, whilst demonstrating a maturity that only comes from experiencing some of the darkest breadth of emotions of the human experience. Life is a solid contender in today’s dynamic and thriving hardcore landscape, and following their upcoming run of Australia shows we hope to see No Apologies hitting venues further afield so that hardcore fans all over the world can experience the range of emotion on display the way the genre is best enjoyed - from the pit.

Score: 9/10

Life will be released on August 29th 2025.

Words: Georgia Grant

Photos: No Apologies