NY Hardcore legends Biohazard have returned with their 10^th studio album, Divided We Fall, with the original band back together, once again like their last album, in 2012 – Reborn in Defiance. Evan had left right after, but returned in 2014. So Billy Graziadei – vocals/guitar, Bobby Hambel – lead guitar, Danny Schuler – drums, Evan Seinfeld – vocals/bass, were intent, with this new album, to revitalize their fanbase and most importantly, let’s get back to our muthafuckin roots.

Biohazard has always been my favorite hardcore band,s and I used to see them live in NY, before they were signed. I remember them opening for Morbid Angel, when Altars of Madness came ou,t and Biohazard’s scorching debut had not even been released. For me, the best Biohazard albums are certainly their first four, as well as Means to an End, which I put right up there with the first 4 classic albums. We can now add Divided We Fall to that. Before I get into the weeds with this outstanding album, let me fanboy for a little bit.

At one of the local Long Island, NY shows after Biohazard played, they took a picture of the crowd, and the back of the original debut album featured a photo of said crowd and my brother, his friend and myself are in that photo, clear as day. Once their second album Urban Discipline came out and they made a video for “Punishment”, the video was on MTV Headbanger’s Ball all the time. I can go on about their collab with Onyx etc. as well.

When I joined Internal Bleeding in 1994, our drummer Bill Tolley (RIP) was also a huge Biohazard fan and loved Danny’s very tasty drum patterns and he was an influence on Bill’s tasty grooves he would play. I had got my first tattoo and Evan comes to the park, where I was working at that day, and he and I get to talking because we were playing the Milwaukee Metalfest that summer with them. I remember showing Evan my tat, he liked it and he slapped it. I was like dude I just got it like 2 weeks ago – it was funny. So we are at the Metalfest and I see Evan come out of a room and he was like…”Hey it’s Frank, the guy who works at the Park, come on in here man”. There were a lot of ladies in that room; however, I had Internal Bleeding responsibilities, like selling merch, so I politely declined, but I was sure tempted. I go downstairs and Bobby is hanging out and Bill and I chewed his ear off and he watched our set.

My third show with the band and Bobby from Biohazard watched our set and loved it. Huge moment for me. Some would say my vocals on the first Internal Bleeding album, Voracious Contempt, had some tough guy type of vocals mixed with my death metal vocals it was really the second album, The Extinction of Benevolence, in 1997, where I really started with the power-violence hardcore type of vocals, like on the song “Plagued by Catharsis”. Biohazard was a direct influence on some of the tones I used.

Fast forward to April 20^th, 2017, a dark day when Internal Bleeding drummer, Bill Tolley a firefighter with FDNY died in the line of duty while putting out a fire. Danny reached out to us on our Facebook page and left his phone number. I called him the next day and we chatted for quite some time and that moment was incredible as I had tears in my eyes talking to him about Bill and how much his drumming was influenced by Danny.

Fast Forward again to 2023 with Danny drumming on the new Hardcore band, Kings Never Die, incredible debut album, All the Rats. I raved about it on this site, in my review, and then Danny asked for my address and sent me a huge care package. The man is not only a killer drummer, but an amazing and generous human being….ok rant over.

Anyway, let’s get back to the topic at hand: Divided We Fall contains 11 songs, and many of these songs will remain in the band’s setlist for some time. The band released several singles first and the first one was “Forsaken”. Not only did I listen to this song a 1000x times, so did my sister, from another mother, Jen, who is a drummer, since she is also a tremendous ‘Hazard fan. Starting with an opening guitar riff, calling to mind “Shades of Grey” and then Evan signifying the ‘Holy Shit’ moment with yelling, Let’s Fuckin’ Go, and BOOM, right into the fast part. Classic Biohazard is written all over this, and Billy is screaming his head off, and Evan is complimenting with his lower vocals. The groove, that hits, will have 2-steppin all damn day!! Gang vocals and then a slower groove with the classic Biohazard sound and Bobby’s soloing is just perfect. Danny’s fast drumming and tasty drum fills will have you swinging for the fences especially when we get an homage to “Hold My Own” with Evan saying “Step to the Rhythm of the Brooklyn Beat”, and then boom ,a monster groove with the song title gang shouted. This is the best Biohazard song in 20 years. Monstrous song.

As much as I love the opening song “Fuck the System”, I feel “Forsaken” should have opened the album. Regardless, the album opener has a tasty opening guitar riff, then right into the fast part and killer groove moments. The title is being gang shouted, and there are quite a lot of beatdown slam moments. Again – a song I foresee in the band’s setlist for years to come, especially since this is kinda the title track since Divided We Fall is also said during the song.

“Word to the Wise” has some of that tasty drumming from Danny, as he has some very cool drum rolls, and then right into the fast parts, with killer moments. This song is one of the fastest the band has ever written. Massive gang shouting moments of the song title, guitar solos, showing off Bobby’s emotive soloing and Evan and Billy’s vocals complementing one another exceedingly well. This song is controlled chaos and pretty extreme with the fast moments, the heavy beatdown grooves, and vocals. This has to be in their live set now!!!

“The Fight to be Free” has one of the best opening groove moments the band has ever crafted. Pure NYHC madness. This guitar tone is heavy and the fast moments are pure galloping 1990 bliss. The gang singing the ooohhhhaaa moments, takes me back to before Biohazard were signed and had some Oi!! moments to the vocals. So damn catchy.

“Warriors” closes out the album, and the band has been known to close out their classic albums with slower songs, such as with “Tears of Blood”, but not here. This song has a great opening before getting right into the gallop. Right after the song title is yelled, then right into the groove with more of those gang singing OOOOhhhhhaaaaaa, very catchy, then right into the galloping. Check out the rhythm section at the 1.41 timestamp. This moment is very catchy and the band is gelling like a well-oiled machine. The band opens the album on fire and closes on fire.

There have been some stellar releases for 2025; however, Divided We Fall, at this moment, is my AOTY. The other Biohazard albums, I did not mention, I really do like, especially, New World Disorder, however, Divided We Fall, calls to mind all the best moments of their strongest albums: The s/t debut, Urban Discipline, State of the World Address, Mata Leão and a Means to an End.

I was looking for Biohazard to get back to those monster grooves, killer aggressiveness, and this album does that and then some. We are also treated to an organic production, which is warm, capturing all the instruments and vocals perfectly. The songs are beyond catchy, and this is NYHC – the Biohazard way, as well as modern and relevant. Welcome back brothers!!

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