Chula Vista crossover thrashers Take Offense have announced their first album since 2019’s great Keep An Eye Out. It’s called T.O.tality and it arrives May 10 via MNRK Heavy (pre-order). The album was co-produced by the band and past collaborator Nick Jett of Terror, and it was mixed by veteran engineer Matt Hyde (No Doubt, Slayer, Hatebreed, etc). And it took a lot longer than expected due to the pandemic, scheduling issues, and guitarist Greg Cerwonka filling in as a live member of Turnstile in 2022-2023. “It was really a strenuous one to make and at points it felt like we might not get it done,” Greg says.
“I feel like I didn’t hold back on things I wanted to say. It’s even in the title of the record– totality,” says vocalist Anthony Herrera. “Certain tracks on the record have references to Mexica, which are beliefs that go back to early Mexico– something that I grew up with. When I was younger, I don’t think it was as easy for me to express certain things into words. I think things come easier now and I feel like I put it all out there. So I’m very proud to be at this point– I feel like we are stronger than ever, and with the new record we are the best version of who we are.”
The first single is “Greetings From Below,” which finds the band’s mix of ’80s thrash and contemporary hardcore sounding as urgent as ever. The song “touches on certain Mexica beliefs of our underworlds,” says Anthony. “It’s believed these are places we go to when we die, but also when we go to sleep, in our dreams and nightmares. Our underworlds also correlate to our waking state as well and we usually experience them in the form of troubles or obstacles we face in our everyday life.” Check out the song and its Nick Hipa-directed video below.
Tracklist
1 – Greetings From Below
2 – S.W.O.
3 – T.O.tality
4 – If I’m Damned, So Be It
5 – Assassination
6 – Uncivilized Animals
7 – Now Or Never
8 – Deep Inside/House Of Shadows
9 – No Mans Land (Instrumental)
10 – Stolen Land
11 – Until Then
12 – Beyond Flesh And Bone
13 – Give’m Chaos
14 – The Prayer
Take Offense — 2024 Tour Dates
Mar 10: Los Angles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
Mar 12: San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick