Part of the reason Australian hardcore has stayed so strong is its ability to rise, phoenix-like, from the flames. Band after band have come, hit hard and then broken up before outstaying their welcome. But importantly, the individual members of such groups always seem to resurface in new and equally awesome projects. And such is the case with Melbourne bruisers Outsiders Code, whose members have been (or in some cases continue to be) involved in such outfits as 50 Lions, Hitlist and Her Nightmare. Exiled From Birth, the band's debut LP, is a juggernaut of no-nonsense hardcore that stands up to the greatest that Melbourne's fertile scene has ever spawned. Think the best that the East Coast has to offer (Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Sworn Enemy) mixed with a liberal doses of Clevo core's (Integrity, Ringworm) Slayerfied madness. The record itself sounds huge thanks to a patented Zeuss mix and some tight musicianship on the part of the band.

Exiled From Birth isn't an album of peaks and troughs, so there's no point playing favourites. Instead each of the ten tracks offers something – whether it be the bludgeoning assault of the opener, Pray For Me, the slow-burning melody of The End or the massive stomp of Instilled. Exiled From Birth doesn't reinvent the wheel – for example there are gang vocals and breakdowns galore – but it really doesn't need to. It executes an established template with utter conviction and without wasting a single note. If you like your hardcore raw and uncompromising, Exiled From Birth is for you.