Vicious metal-edged hardcore band, First Blood, are streaming their new album, Rules, ahead of it’s release on February 10th via Pure Noise Records. Listen to the album below, and pre-order the record at this location.

First Blood’s union with Pure Noise Records marks a new chapter for the band as they join the label’s eclectic roster, which includes fellow hardcore acts like Terror, Knocked Loose, Senses Fail and more.

"Not only has Jake (Round) at Pure Noise been there and seen us during our earlier days back in the San Francisco Bay Area, but he has worked hard and created a tremendous record label that continues to make a huge impact in the underground music scene worldwide,” says vocalist Carl Schwartz. “We are proud to join the Pure Noise roster, excited to share our newest album with the world, and thankful for the new life. FIRST BLOOD RULES 2017."

On their first album in seven years, First Blood has come out swinging with a savage third full-length record, Rules. Produced by recording mastermind Will Putney at Graphic Nature Studios (formerly known as The Machine Shop) in Belleville, NJ, Rules features 12 tracks of the band's hardest, yet most inward-looking material to date. Elaborating on the album title, Schwartz adds, "Rules are everywhere. Explicit rules. Unwritten rules. Unspoken rules. The rule of law. Some rules we accept. Others we hate or choose to ignore. Frequently, those who set the rules are found guilty of breaking those rules. Many have become victims of the rules they live by, either by conquest or consent. I hope that, after listening to this album and reading the lyrics, we can revisit and remind ourselves of the very essence of the underground music scene: Living our own lives by our own rules."

That rebellious sentiment can be felt throughout the band’s torrential new song “Rules of Life,” which pushes back against society’s norms and puts a fist in the air for individuality and freedom of thought.

“We are often the product of the rules we are taught to live by,” Schwartz adds. “Growing up, someone I looked-up to once told me, "You wake up everyday. You go to a job you hate. You come home miserable. Then you go to bed. And then you do it again. And again. And again. And then you die. That's life." For a while, I believed this was true. Now that I am older and have a son of my own, I wish for him to see things differently--to live differently. To him, I say "Have courage to stand on your own. Follow what you believe even when you're alone. Be strong. Be proud. Be brave. Be a fucking rebel instead of a slave. See the world and follow your dreams. Wolfgang, this is for you. That's life."

First Blood will tour Europe with Deez Nuts and Comeback Kid in February and are expected to return to the US later this year.

Rules tracklisting:

“Fuck The Rules”
“These Are The Rules”
“Rules Meant To Be Broken”
“Rules Of Life”
“Rules Of Conviction”
“Rules Of Engagement”
“Rules Of Justice”
“Rules Of Survival”
“Rules Of Freedom”
“Rules Of Sacrifice”
“Rules Of Government”
“Rules Of Crisis”

Album stream:

“Rules Of Life” lyric video:

(Photo - Azumi Tomoshige)