SORE

In November of 2002, we did a review of the demo that SORE was distributing, called Who Can Hang?. That disc had 4 songs on it that are also present on their full length CD, Entitled Source of Raw Energy. I'm not sure if the first disc was released before the full length album was done, or if it was made to distribute as a promotional tool. At any rate, we now have the full length disc in hand!

I hope that you will pardon me, but I will probably refer back to the review done back in November quite a bit; a lot of my feelings about SORE aside from the music are still true. They are a hard-working group, doing everything that they can to promote themselves and get their music out there. Again, this year, they are getting themselves to several festivals and playing as many big events as they can get. I admire them for getting out there and promoting themselves! Its very true that if you dont believe in yourself, and if you arent your biggest fan, nobody is going to find out who you are, or what you are about!

I also still believe that the band stands out because of the lyrical content. However, there is a lot more rap on the full length CD, and while the lyrical content is still good, it becomes a lot more cliched to me. There are still songs that have a lot of meaning; in fact, a song called I Gotta Fight has a lot of content that sounds like the thoughts of an individual struggling with an addiction of some sort. Other songs, though, simply resort to telling you, the listener, that SORE Rules, and that anybody that gets in their way will get hurt (paraphrased). The rapping, courtesy of The DRP, is very street tough and in your face, and gives the impression that he is the baddest street thug in Milwaukee. He actually explains on their website that this attitude is the result of emulating guys from the street that he was around as a kid, but that he hasnt been drawn into the street lifestyle. If you didn’t know it, though, youd swear that he lived and risked death on the mean streets! It adds a totally different dimension to the band than that seen on Who Can Hang?, and for me personally, I wasnt as fond of that dimension. The songs are done well, and while theyre not as commercially viable as other bands in this particular genre, they are still good songs! I was impressed, too, by the fact that lyrical credit is shared on the song All in Check by The DRP and Busta Rhymes! Its a personal taste thing with me, and not a lack of talent on the bands part!

SORE exhibits a lot of energy on this recording; the rhythm section provides a very heavy, driving beat, and guitars are thick and very powerful! As mentioned above, the vocals/rapping on the disc are also very powerful! Favorites musically were Snakes, Sore Spot, and All In Check. I also like the more melodic songs that were on Who Can Hang?, like Namesake (still my favorite song from this band!), Position, and Dark December. There is another song on the disc that is more melodic, called Life; in a lot of ways it seems out of place on the CD, mainly because of the lyrical content! It is basically a prayer, expressing to God the way that the author has lived to try and please Him, so that the Afterlife will be assured. I guess in comparison to the gangsta feel of the rest of the CD, its odd to hear a song like this one. In a way, though, I think it fits the feel of the CD in that it expresses hope in a very dark and desperate life. For me, I got a mental picture of a person who has lived a very rough life on the streets, doing what has to be done, all the time trying to live so that God is pleased with him. In that context it is a very powerful song.

Im not really sure what else to say at this point. I think the members of SORE are very talented individuals who have set their sights on success! When a band has that sort of drive and attitude, there arent many things that can stand in their way!

As I recommended with Who Can Hang?, Ill recommend that you pick up a copy of Source of Raw Energy! It isnt exactly everything that I look for in a musical experience, but for people fond of hardcore, metal, and rap-metal, this is an album that is right up your alley! Get your copy now! When theyre famous, youll look like a musical genius!---Mark Lush, MWB 7/18/03 *Listen to SORE on MWB RADIO!
- Midwestbands.com

S.O.R.E. - Source Of Raw Energy

Location Milwaukee, WI

Initial Impression A rap/metalcore band from Wisconsin, that has a link on their website to Vanilla Ice. Oooooh boy...

Notable Lyric "I'm that pimp, I'm that playa / I'm that hustle muthafucka / Try to take from me it's 6 feet deep for a sucka / Spotlight shinin' on the show bum rusha / I'm the melody assassin, I'm the microphone crusha," from "H8ters."

Factoid S.O.R.E. won a $10,000 Jim Beam sponsored recording contract in 2000, played at the Midwest Music Conference in 2001, played "the Big Gig" (Summerfest) in 2002, and have songs in two films and an extreme sports video.

Serve With Space enough to move. It's not possible to sit still for a band with a double bass drum.

Comments Boy, was I blown away by these guys. Solid, solid music. With the rapid-fire discourse of Reveille, Metallica-esque guitars, and the melody of Sevendust, S.O.R.E. are doing exactly as they're meant to. Their music creates a wall of crunching fury, and the lyrics pace back-and-forth in this self-exile. Favorite tracks would be the earnest "Namesake," pulsing "Sore Spot," "Spent The Time" which would sound great as a duet with a female (raises hand), and first single, "Dark December."

While I can't say this is an album I can 'relate' to, it's absolutely one that is going to get repeat performances in my CD player.

URL www.sore-s5.com

Reviewer Jaimie (3/03)
- Score Music Magazine

SORE (Source of Raw Energy) are a Milwaukee based band but have moved out to LA. Their music has been used in over 10 movies including the upcoming Lion's gate Film, "Bloodsuckers", and the frat comedy, "Pledging KVL". They have also opened for some big acts such as HEDpe, Cypress Hill, Mushroomhead, 40 Below Summer, Candiria, Vanilla Ice, Soil, Andrew W.K., Saliva, and many more.. They are a balls out hard rock band, as there name suggests they are raw, no frills, no bullshit. For those who like a comparison I would say that they could easily be grouped with the likes of Korn. (Aynz) - thesunmachine.net

by Jedd Beaudoin
jbeaudoin@f5wichita.com


STOP PICKING AT IT YOU'LL ONLY MAKE IT WORSE: The metal dispensers of S.O.R.E. are set to do a two-fer in the ICT. COURTESY Photo

lthough Milwaukee doesn't have a music scene comparable to that of, say, Seattle or even Chicago,the beer city has spawned a number of diverse acts, whether singer-songwriters such as Willie Porter and Peter Mulvey, the indefatigable Violent Femmes or BoDeans. And now there's S.O.R.E — Source Of Raw Energy — a rap metal sextet bound for the round and, maybe one day, glory.
The group, whose music has been featured on ESPN, HBO and an upcoming film starring Gary Busey, hits The Game this weekend for an all-ages show with aggressive but melodic Angst Driven, Another Word, Zero Cell, Vyreal and Mind Lock Down (Is that a lineup or what? Make sure you thank the folks at The Game) on Friday and a second (all-ages) show on Saturday with Dog Fashion Disco, Wolfpac, Oddzar and other metal luminaries.
Bands are scheduled to hit the stage Friday and Saturday starting at 5 p.m. Under 21? Have $7 ready at the door; 21 and up pay $4.
S.O.R.E. has played shows throughout the Midwest and will make its way to California and Colorado before coming back to Wichita in November. Experts indicate, however, that seeing the band before and after they've been to El Ay will yield the best results for your health, happiness and street credibility.
- F5

Review:
SOURCE OF RAW ENERGY
Sore hands out their version of rock/rap in their current release titled "Source of Raw Energy". This undertaking includes all the commonly expected aspects that make this brand of music alluring to the masses. Items such as vigorous tempos, scratching, loops, screams in between choruses and a strong presence of heavy guitar chugs that switch back and forth over a well maintained drum beat can be readily heard throughout the disc. As stated in their namesake, the guys in Sore harness their burning energy and manifest it into a respectable platform for their intelligently angry lyrics. The more you listen to the disc, the more you realize they have withdrawn elements from bands such as Reveille, Shuvel and a spot or two from E-Town Concrete. For fear of being cornered and categorized as part of the crop of rock/rap bands, Sore placed two tracks on the disc that explore further musical boundaries which could be marked with another genre tag entirely. The tracks in question are "Spent the Time" and "Life". This is where they can place themselves apart from the standard set by those creating this style of music. Especially in the case of "Life" where Sore pushes the limits by making a song that could be construed as a ballad of huge proportions. Perhaps if they found a way to incorporate more of the angle found in the song "Life", they could begin to make a name for themselves because there is a hint of redundancy found in the disc. Consider "Source of Raw Energy" an intriguing CD with some added high points that could spark some amiable interest among those who enjoy anything in the rock/rap genre.
Reviewed By: Brodie Holmen - East Coast Romper

Ahh, it's Christmas time again. Time for presents, good cheer, and of course, SLAMMIN' SANTA, the Rave's local heavy metal showcase. Now in it's fifth year, this culmination of the cream of Milwaukee's metal acts keeps getting bigger and bigger. One day, anyone of these bands may tour with Metallica. Until that Christmas wish comes true, come support them at The Rave Bar on Saturday December 20!

Thick and powerful guitars characterize Milwaukee natives SORE. This rap/metalcore band wields the rapid-fire discourse of Metallica-esque guitars and the melody of Sevendust through crunching fury and a chaotic stage show. The band recently released their debut CD Source Of Raw Energy, and are set to slam into the big time. The band says on their website that they expect to see "the old heads who have been down since day one" when they return to The Rave, their "hometown haunt."
- The Rave

S.O.R.E. This Milwaukee quintet, formed in 2000, have recently released their debut CD, "Source Of Raw Energy." Using the popular combination of metal and rap, with a touch of techno synths bubbling in the background, the group has a commercial sound that should bring them some level of success. Already, some of their songs have been placed in movies, and the group plans to tour throughout the nation early this year. (www.sore-s5.com)
- Maximum Ink Music Magazine

Admittedly, I don’t know much about this band; they submitted their CD to us for review, so we took a listen. Just because we hadn’t heard much about them doesn’t mean that they aren’t accomplishing things, though! According to their press kit, they’ve won a couple of Battle of the Bands in their home state of Wisconsin, have had a song selected to be included in a movie soundtrack and extreme sports video, and also played at the Midwest Music Conference this summer down in Lexington, KY, so they’ve got some seriously cool accomplishments under their belt! They’ve got a really good CD that they’re distributing as well; thus, the review here at MWB!

I just want to say before I mention the CD at all that SORE exhibits one quality that make a good band great; a willingness to work at promoting themselves, and to get the word out that they are a band unique to the scene! In today’s market, that is the right attitude to have!

I listened to this CD at first with a little cynicism; it seems that the number of bands in the rap-metal/new metal genre is steadily growing. It’s understandable; good bands come out and define that genre, producing a love of the music in aspiring musicians who want to play the music they love. Unfortunately, a new and fresh approach quickly becomes mired in blandness. A new band is necessary, then, to shake up the status quo, and bring a new twist to the scene.

Until that happens, though, you measure one band by another; not by choice, mind you. It just happens that way, because in your mind you say “Well, they’re not as good as Band A, but they are better than Bands B and C. You also point out the things that set a band apart from their contemporaries, so that you have a way of quantifying their talent and their overall quality.

With SORE, the thing that immediately stands out to me is the quality of their lyrics; they have a lot of talent musically, but so do a lot of bands! That is not said to discourage them as musicians at all, but to emphasize their strength. Their guitar work is really good, and the vocals sound very tight. The one thing that I came back to on a second and third listen, though, was the quality of their lyrics. These aren’t songs written on the back of a match book minutes before the song was recorded; they show a lot of reflection, and a lot of thought. If there were 10 bands on the bill, and all of them played their butts off, SORE would stand out to me, simply because their lyrics are so outstanding.

I’d recommend that you get a copy of their demo. I’d get it simply for the first track on the CD, entitled “Namesake”; it is a unique song that is strong because of solid musicianship and very touching lyrics. All of the tracks are solid, but this one stands out to me! Pick up a copy of their demo! You’ll be hearing a hard-working band that is dedicated to their craft. If they continue to show the work ethic they’ve shown in the past year, they’ll be going places! ---Mark Lush, MWB 11/27/02
- MidwestBands.com