Knocked Loose "A Different Shade Of Blue" (2019)

 

Ever evolving, plunging deeper into metallic influences, Knocked Loose follow up their debut Laugh Tracks with this menacing beast of a sophomore record. Sinister in tone, its shouted angers and growled frustrations lurch within a darkly atmosphere well encapsulated by its album cover. A Different Shade Of Blue leans into discomfort, bleeding unsettled tensions into rhythmic groove and bounce. Dissonant, angular, shady guitar licks play interim on a stifling path to release. Strings of muddling riffs craftily pivot into thudding grooves and stomping halftimes, gratifying upon arrival.

Its thirty eight minutes entertain thoroughly. A consistent, non-linear onslaught of aggression. With dreary mood, the music seemingly stumbles its way into the wild throws of beat down magic over and over. A simple concept for release that somehow never unshackles its dingy looming dread. This characters the record with a sense of artistry where typical ideals are twisted to the will of this hallowed, enraged vision.

The metallic influences present are unshakable. In both tone and composition, these echos of Sludge, Groove and Melodic Death Metal ripple through more obvious Metalcore stylings. Many riffs and moments have an uncanny reminiscence but to what or who specifically I am never quite sure. This is testament to their creative expression. Influences heard all over yet never encroaching generic plagiarism.

My ultimate takeaway is my favorite sort, a solid record. Something that plays in service of its next song. Barely a peak or valley, just a consistently exciting venture along its meandering foray of gratifying aggressive oddities. Mistakes Like Fractures jumps out at the mid point but other than that its really hard to pick favorites as each track delivers on both its wretched mood and punchy spurts of head banging bliss.

Rating: 8/10

Knocked Loose "Laugh Tracks" (2016)

Entertained yet unimpressed by Pop Culture, this follow up debut album showcases a distinct shift in approach. Illuminating an unhinged magic to blossom fuller on You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To, the Beatdown oriented Hardcore outfit dazzle with tangents and derivatives leaning into the umbrella of Metal sub-genres. Occasionally overt but often subtle, to a seasoned Metalhead, guitar riffs shift gears with metallic thrashings between the onslaught of gritted Hardcore Punk aggression.

 

The band chew through struggling terrain, challenging music to endure. Addictive within its angered outburst, abrasive refrains, aesthetic dissonances drag one along with a touch of chaos. Wading through a swamp of discontent, each track eventually arrives with a gratifying stomp of mosh friendly groove. An awkward balance to achieve but Knocked Loose grasp it with a masterful strangulating grip.

Laugh Tracks plays in constant anticipation of whats to follow, barely lingering in any arrangement for more than four bars, its swiftly navigates non-linear writing promises a romp to follow. I think only Last Words opts out of a throw down as its final palm mute chug diverts expectations as the guitars take on an uglied Black Metal aesthetic. Its swiftly remedied as No Thanks lunges straight into the dance floor chops.

Without sensationalizing their own material, remaining grounded to the frustrated howls of Garris', Knocked Loose offer up a whole work worthy of listening front to back. I've found it hard to pick out a favorite song, This one plays complete, consistent and cunning as something vicious always lies in wait, all the way up to a sudden outburst of menacing, high society pompous laughter at its ending.

Rating: 8/10

Knocked Loose "Pop Culture" (2014)

 

You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To has become a recent obsession of mine. Its been years since a band has pushed the envelope on the extremes of "heavy" music. Logically its time to do the deep dive, starting with bands first release, a five track EP.

 Entertaining but far from memorable, Pop Culture only has retroactive flickers of a genius yet to unravel. Playing like typical beat-down Hardcore, the group barrel through angered stampedes of syncopated rhythmic assault. All roads lead to Rome, each song finds climax through slam grooves fit for hardcore dancers swinging limbs.

With knowledge of whats to come, one can hear their subtle rejections of typical song structure flow. Taking apt opportunities, linear strings of dissonant riffs often divert from anticipated grooves. Lacking the gravitas to rip up the rule book, they sound off-kilter but yet to evolve into the unhinged beast frothing anger at the mouth.

Aesthetics and production suffer too, dulling their intensity, a amateurish affair typical of debut low budget records. The ending of All My Friends offers a whiff of textured atmospheric chaos to come but its brief. Most of the time, power chord guitars fall into cushioned palm muted distortions that lack teeth for a sharper bite.

Its lyrical themes mostly hinge on conflict with religion, unanswered questions stiring deep unrest. Garris' high pitched shriekish bark is still jarring but yet to encapsulate that livid frustration put forth later. Its clear he and his band mates have much maturing to do but their is no denying the foundations of whats to come were laid here. I'm seeking a tipping point in their evolution! However this didn't win me over.

Rating: 4/10

Knocked Loose "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To" (2024)

 

With frantic demeanor, pointed jittery bombardments unleash bottled up agitations. Furious spurts of frenzied anger erupt, spewing forth a fierce menace, rattling the cage, as unwavering intensity decimates structure. Brevity carries a weighty burden, form flees as directionless lashes of hurt strike impulsively. From this wounded posture, dissonance reigns supreme, splicing aesthetic discomfort and rhythmic assault into an uglied abomination, dizzying in its relentless pursuit of filth.

In other words, the record plays like a sporadic riff-fest, somehow satisfying in where this formless chain of spiteful distortions lands. Currently embracing increasing attention, Knocked Loose capitalize on their Coachella exposure, dropping ten cuts across a brief twenty seven minute stint that barely repeats itself with any semblance of comfortably. Their breed of adrenaline soaked Metallic Hardcore loosens its beat-down shackles, expanding texture and craft as disgruntled horizons expand.

The often gratifying loop of obvious throw-downs gets challenged, the group elongate sludgy thuds of rhythm guitar into unpredictable sleuths descending into depravity. A clear victory, aided by intriguing arrangements between that suffer from an attention deficit disorder. One moment collapses into the next, exploring ranges of aggression and leveraging moments of respite with creepy shadowed melodic dissonance.

All that said, a couple of songs do conform. Suffocate lands a digestible punch, featuring an evolving Poppy. Her screams are mustering more intensity. This still dazzles after many spins. Its sporadic nature wrestles successfully with predictability, unhinged yet effective. I'm left with a sense that time will tell if these songs stick. Despite knowing these numbers well, that unstructured charm has kept it fresh.

The only blemish is Garris' shrieking howl. Resembling a crows dying squawk, its likely a love hate sound I simply have to tune out. The rest of the aesthetic is fantastic. In this era of music production, bands can load depth into the clarity which may go overlooked as the romps of metallic fight music will likely take center stage.

Rating: 7/10

Ho99o9 "Skin" (2022)

 

In my camp of awe inspiring, adrenaline pumping music, a spot is reserved for the gritty punk duo known as Ho99o9. Their crossover of Horrorcore, Hardcore Punk and rebellious persona has been enthralling in recent years. Skin, their sophomore album wedged between many mini albums and EPs, has sadly failed to reinvigorate the wild energy they usually conjure effortlessly. Opening with a brief offering of Thrash guitars, manic percussion and unhinged screams, a couple of tracks get the blood flowing with the best the record has to offer coming from Corey Taylor of Slipknot.

His timeless scream is a great fit as the one working chemistry from a few collaborations. Jasiah inducts the group into the adjacent Trap Metal scene with tropes and tones perhaps heard best by City Morgue. Those harsh hitting, volume peaking bass drum aesthetics crop up on other songs to little avail. That sentiment extends to much of what Ho99o9 aim for on Skin. Not looking to circle back on previous successes, the many chemistries they forge just fail to vibe with me sadly.

With a lack of songs sparking the right words to describe the experience, I simply fall back to a sense that the pair looked for unsettled atmospheres, moments of mania and a dystoian grittiness less dependent on Metal and Hardcore guitars. These tracks also feel like a jumble of ideas, rarely resting in one place for long and jumping into a variety of odd temperaments along the way. Whatever the vision was, it failed me in feeling cohesive. I'm left quite disappointed but hopeful they'll get back on track.

Rating: 4/10

Stormtroopers Of Death "Speak English Or Die" (1985)

 

This classic record has been on my radar for years. Having finally plunged in and gotten to know its flavor of chaos, the year of release endows a context of immense appreciation. Before Slayer unleashed the unbridled fury of Reign In Blood, here stands one of the first Crossover Thrash projects encroaching on that timeless intensity. Stormtroopers Of Death is somewhat of a "supergroup" uniting musician from either side. With an intentionally unsavory and controversial, politically incorrect theme, they converge at a furious intersection of Thrash Metal and Hardcore Punk. The result is a wild, uncompromising assault on extreme music of the time. Perhaps Metallica's Kill Em All was the cutting edge before this? Although it may seem tame today, I find myself stilled stunned this was released in 1985!

Boasting big gritty distortion guitars, the fast and choppy slaps of power chord shuffling gets amplified by a fantastic percussive performance. Charlie Benante is a powerhouse of Hardcore groove and Grindcore blasts as his drumming often derails from mosh stomps into loose thumping rattles of chaos. Its an old-school flavor of blast beats so uncommon now yet it sounds utterly fantastic when unleashed. Its the duality with Scott Ian of Anthrax who, for a Thrash guitarist, gets the Hardcore energy just right. The constant shuffling between moshing grooves and unrestrained extremity is fun and fast. The songs blitz through an arsenal of riffs and ideas that simply excels.

The majority of songs clock in around two minutes. A helping of very short stunts chime in too. The six second Anti Procrastination Song a particularly fun one, an idea preceding Napalm Death's Guinness world record holding "You Suffer". All ideas are explored swiftly, rarely lingered on for more than a grasp of whats going on. They tend to roll into one big wash of frenetic aggression as its pummeling charges roll out the punches over and over again across its twenty one tracks. It does end on a bit of a whimper, limping out on a string of jokey seconds long songs that don't land well.

Often abbreviated to S.O.D, I realized the song Pussywhipped was mistaken for System Of A Down back in the file sharing days of Napster, a common issue with the service. It brought quite the smile to hear an oldie from my school days. I always thought it was an early band demo or something along those lines. Its also one of the albums best songs with razor fast riffs switching into big bouncing grooves as the drums batter down hard with snare rolls. I'm left with no illusions about how significant this record is in the landscape of extreme music. I reckon it will only ever grow on me with time. If id discovered this in my youth, I'd probably be worshiping it till this day!

Rating: 8/10

Knocked Loose "A Tear In The Fabric Of Life" (2021)

 

My excitement and appetite for the cutting edge of brutality in the world of Extreme Metal as diminished severely with time. Most bands I encounter seem to be locked in the Post-Deathcore and Djent overlay which tends to recycle the same ideas found at their origins. Alongside a Metalcore backbone, some of that bore is to be found here too with with a shimmering of Mathcore in places also. The reason I mention this is because Knocked Loose have spun that formula into a short and pacey affair of pummeling intensity. On this EP, six tracks blaze through the many tropes and un-original ideas common to the genre on the heels of an adrenaline shot of excitement. Their song structures continually race ahead, leaping from one moment of bludgeoning to the next, leaving you with little time to recover from each metallic blow. Its a fun experience as the chops come quick and fast, rarely looping back and often jumping into sludgy palm muted break downs with barely a moments notice.

The production is stellar, a show of strength, an aesthetic treat of modem engineering that has its instruments frothing with a rage shared by front-man Bryan Garris. Initially I found his shrill, high pitched bark a bit rash but I warmed up to it as his energy fell inline with the unrelenting march of aggression the band set out on with these songs. Not only do the instruments bring intensity, the moments of texture embellished in its discordant riffs take up the pauses for breath with expansive moments of tense atmosphere as on occasion the music blossoms into something more than the meat grinder it initially seems to be. With quite a few spins in the past weeks, A Tear In The Fabric Of Life is a short experience that's delivered much gusto as its rapid approach brings continual waves of excitement that last the initial explosive impression created.

Rating: 6/10

Turnstile "Glow On" (2021)

 

Released just six weeks back, the Turnstile Love Connection EP had me hyped for something special... but when your four best tracks are those already shipped, well it had me initially disappointed. Turnstile, the Hardcore outfit from Baltimore USA, were put on my radar with Space & Time. Their lean and timely infusion of musical sounds normally spun far beyond the Hardcore scene was both a breath of fresh air and a riveting injection of adrenaline to a sound dulled by a lack of progression with time. Working on the same formula as that record, Glow On cushions the musical creativity with subtle use of electronic percussive toms and claps and the irritating cowbell. In the more obvious avenues, dazzling pianos weave between the sharp guitars in moments of melody beyond the rhythmic two-step onslaught.

In its predictable Hardcore persuasion, the band pull the usual tricks with tight and lean power chord shredding, building up to the big groove riffs as the drums cut to the half time and the mosh moments land the songs trajectory. Between its slabs of foot stomping riffage, sprinkles of color and melody intersperse. It often takes the form of Surf Rock, with washy, hazy guitar tones giving off the easy breezy summer vibes. On occasion a heartfelt emotional angle is reached as sung voices get warm and candid, not your usual cut for this aggressive music but they do it so well. Songs like Underwater Boi, Alien Love Call & New Heart mostly cut out the Hardcore, better defining this particular flavor that emerges in fractions on the rest of the album.

A favorite moment for me is not one of brilliance but confusion with Wild Wrld and its uncanny rhythm guitar riff. The bars are distinctly different, sounding like a Metallica outtake from the years of creative struggle around Death Magnetic. Its a mild blemish for a record that spins its formula so well. As I touched on earlier, that initial disappointment wore off. This record is fiery and driven, a band in their moment. For me it looses its edge in the shadow of what came before it, the design a carbon copy yet the feeling is still riveting. After quite a few spins, the best songs still feel like those from the EP. I'm left wondering if I wasn't aware of it, how different would my words on this record would be? I still get crazy excited every time Holiday comes on! What a banging song.

Rating: 7/10

Turnstile "Turnstile Love Connection" (2021)

 After the release of Time & Space Ive been keenly awaiting another album from this keen Hardcore outfit. This blitz of an EP has got me buzzing now! Baltimore outfit Turnstile give an aged sound renewed youthful excitement, frothing with energy and kicking in subtle influences to character their sound and start apart in the crowd.

Holiday kicks things of with its soft murmuring baseline bursting into a riot of sharp power chord strumming. Its somewhat predictable for this group yet lands like a riot, the hooks of Brendan Yates reeling it in, "Now its a holiday", "I can never feel the cold", "I can sail with no direction". There is so much exuberance being exhorted, exactly what he does best. In the opening and throughout the use of an electronic 808 akin drum kit adds a little bark to the rhythm section. Subtle, yet a texture that gives the music a little of that extra character they bring to many of their Hardcore songs.

No Surprise serves as a dreamy soulful interlude to abridge its Grunge number Mystery, fitted out with a brief noisy solo and curious spacey synths in its intro and outro, that later sounding like a space ship taking off. Title track TLC takes the tone back to the bands roots with a strictly fast, hard Hardcore sound with fiery vocals and gang shouts too. Its mid section brings in electronic toms as the music pivots, an odd choice that once again musters a little oddity. It gets explored again as the track devolves swiftly with an experimental vocal cut to end the brief eight minutes of music.

Turnstile is in a groove, writing keen songs that have the power and charisma of what came before. The use of alternate percussive aesthetics and moments of electronic and vocal experimentation are peculiar on analysis yet to just enjoy the music, it works and flows effortlessly. Something in the temperament of this group just lets it all work. If these are the "weaker" tracks left out from an up and coming album then we are in for a treat! We are probably in for a treat either way...

Rating: 3/10

City Morgue "Toxic Boogaloo" (2020)

 

The City Morgue duo are back with another barrage of obnoxious violent raps, spitting hate and threats in all directions. Following up on the first two style defining volumes, this twenty minute EP brings a firm, metallic tinted production to their typical arrangement of hook oriented outbursts of intense energy. Better enjoyed in brief stints, Toxic Boogaloo benefits from a swift lineup touting quality over quantity. As to be expected, vile raps, boastful aggression and abhorrent attitudes guide the lyrical assault on the listener as we are plunged into the fury of violent youthful rebellion.

Further developing their fusion of Trap Metal, the instrumentals toy with big dirty bass lines pushing deep into peak distortions. This noise foray paired with gritty FL Slayer distortion sounds pushes the chemistry further into dark urban avenues. Although a little groove a rhythm arrives through the guitars, its mainly an aesthetic compliment to tracks driven by pounding Trap percussion with darkly sounding samples and synths brooding moods. Its a clear step up from what they achieved beforehand.

Lyrically, its the same game again. For me that is mostly a novel gawking session at the level of ridiculousness on display. The two have an undeniable talent for style, delivery and catchy hooks but the slew of spiteful anger has little in the way of depth. Hurtworld '99 gets a shout for its running letters of hurt, which yield a personal angle with its timing of the world you. It feels like they reach in and grab way more from a single word with how its worked into the hook. Its a keen moment among a few others. If the duo keep moving in this direction it sounds like their is room for growth.

Rating: 5/10

Ho99o9 "Blur" (2020)

 

  As one of the more exciting acts to follow, the regularity of new material is always welcome. Hot off the heals of Cyber Warfare, the duo offer up another keenly themed mini album to digest. Blur is intermittent with snippets and samples of what sounds like eighties and nineties media hysteria over the emergence of loud and aggressive music in the form of Hardcore and Heavy Metal. The fear and rhetoric feels relevant to their twisted hybrid of dark Hip Hop and Hardcore Punk, ironically the music these talking heads were commenting on is meager and tame in comparison.

These thirty four minutes split along ten tracks feel like a call back to Mutant Freakx and their earlier releases. The bulk of music focuses on slower tempos, twisted and sinister atmospheres built from unhinged beats. Vocally the raps and hooks revel in ambiguity and discernible performances, occasionally lashing out with mean tonged aggressive verse of the Trap Metal variety. Each track is like being dipped into a different dimension of eerie unease as its slowly burns away.

Drifting from that norm, Flesh And Blood has a burst of tempo and Punk energy for the albums shortest affair. With only three tracks led by distortion guitar, Dog Shit takes the cake for being a ferocious riot, unleashing ravenous energy through its dirty riffing. Its brief, housed by samples and the dingy atmosphere the album revels in. Hardcore makes a distinct break from all this with a style and format that ultimately seems like a piss take aimed at Tyler The Creator, ripping off the attributes of his fantastic music.

Compared to the last two stints, it hasn't pushed my buttons as Id like given I am more drawn to their metallic side. It has however been a enjoyable listen with a host of tracks to stuck into but my ultimate take away is the darkly atmospheres don't deliver quite the engagement after multiple spins, it becomes a slow burn as the mystique wares off having deciphered the somewhat cryptic musics facade.

Rating: 6/10

Can't Swim "Foreign Language" (2019)

Released as a short twelve minute EP, the emotive Post-Hardcore group Can't Swim of Kansas Missouri take a break in stride from their albums and vent frustrations with this loud and angry outlet of channeled frustrations. It hosts an array of guests, singers who you'd presume are friends of the band, brought on to throw a little spice into this mini project. Ultimately its lyrical themes feel a bit force fed, anger led, a spewing of emotions that don't particularly add to conversational depth but certainly enforce the aggressive tone felt on the instrumentals. Police brutality, wealth inequality, evil and corruption are some of the themes delved into at the surface level.

Their melodic song writing and knack for hooks that I grew so fond of on Fail You Again tend to be the fall back in breaks from intensity. Each song has a angle that tends to push the music towards Crossover Thrash territory. Spews of gang shouts come thick and fast, reminding me fondly of Iron Reagan. A couple of ridiculous break downs play up the fun between the onslaught of thrashing guitars. As a whole it blitzes by fast with a hurtling energy as these short songs burst at the seems in aggressive mania. It does lack depth and feels somewhat novel in the shadow of a sound they execute far better but as a side projects its fun and maybe not to be taken seriously.

Favorite Track: Shoot

Rating: 4/10

Ho99o9 "Cyber Warfare" (2019)

Less than a year on from one of last years favorites Cyber Cop, the vicious Punk Rock fusing and Hip Hop grooving duo Ho99o9 return with another vivid, conceptual EP that experiments with eerie cyber space hacker aesthetic. Opening up with Master Of Pain, gothic organs conjure an unsettling hallowed horror soundtrack atmosphere for slow tempo percussion to brood and then pivot into a riotous romp of synthetic guitar riffs fit for the pit. The back and forth is fantastic but this new gothic element sets a desire for more that is left alone on this one song. With Plexiglass a smothering, repetitive, obnoxious baseline fills the void akin to something you might hear on a TV commercial. A ridiculous mania of hurling frantic screams quickly stops this in its tracks as it turns up the intensity alongside scratchy discernible noise. At this point it may be hard to stomach for many a music listener.

Shadowrun slams into the Punk energy with fast and energetic guitar riffs, burred screams and pummeling drums. Its ecstatic and highly intriguing as the distortion and production techniques mask much of the instruments in layers of unusual aesthetic. From their the good songwriting emerges as the song leads into a fantastic closing groove played twice over. The end of the song introduces a layer of technological theming as a pitch dropped voice talks of internet connections. There is a few other bits like this but they fail to be interesting in my opinion. The next few tracks brings out the mean and gritty raps, delving into gloomy, dangerous street vibes akin to similar songs heard on their Horrors Of 1999 sophomore EP.

F.O.G. wraps up the record with some serious metallic stomping and tight drum patterns not far from something heard on a Extreme Metal record with its tight double pedal working. The song gets progressively heavier and distorted synths lead up to a ridiculous climax that maybe falls a little short of its intention. Overall this record is another fantastic chapter in what I hope will produce more of this paranoid cyber theming. Its not reached quite the peaks of Cyber Cop but it has produced some remarkable songs once again. This band are very much in a stride and I find myself dead excited for whatever it is they will do next.

Rating: 7/10
Favorite Tracks: Master Of Pain, Plexiglass, Shadowrun

Ho99o9 "Horrors Of 1999" (2015)

Rounding up the records Ive missed we have another short EP from American experimental duo Ho99o9. Once again their fusion of Hip Hop, Punk Rock and Horrorcore seems far more enjoyable than the reputable Dead Bodies In The Lake where I started this journey. With one skit and five short songs the duo get into dark, grisly menacing vibes and flex degrees of raps and Punk screaming vocals with all sorts of distorted, pitch shifted and reverberated inflections. The pair firmly sit at the heart of the darkly atmospheres their puzzling instrumentals conjure. Industrial pallets of gritty sampling paired with abstract, slow and stretched out percussive grooves set the tone for the act to get maniacal on the majority half of the music.

Its vivid and concise but the most fun to be had is in the two Punk tracks. No Regrets and Savage Heads bring on a drummer to muster up some lively beats for a roaring buzzed out bass guitar to power the track forward as an array of unusual synth sounds chime in, often with little melody and a helping of oddity. This is where the two liven up, shouting out catchy lyricism with ferocity. Overall it makes for a fun and haunting listen with a splash of cheesy horror vibes in the middle. Again the potential to grow as artists is far more obvious at this point in time for Ho99o9.

Rating: 5/10

Ho99o9 "Mutant Freax" (2014)

Mutant Freak is Punk Rock and Hip Hop duo Ho99o9's debut EP release. I was initially not so interested, I got the impression from the differences between Dead Bodies In The Lake and United States Of Horror that the pair where an upwards path. Occasional tracks bang with hard hitting grooves and heretic energy but a lot of their material revolves around unhinged "atmosphere" and aesthetics that culminate to a strange breed of rebellion born from their unique fusion of influences.

With Cyber Cop the two produced a very cohesive set of songs which mostly rocked from front to back. Its not what I expected but the three tracks of Mutant Freak do this too, without any apparent bangers or big beats. On this eight minute listen their dark aesthetics and sporadic mic presence finds a dynamism I didn't hear before. Their selection of gritty, night time synth samples play against loose drums as they drop darkly verses between odd vocal inflections with an interesting spark.

Split in the middle is Hated In America, a heated Punk Rock track with fast tempo drums, thrashing power chord guitars and a infectious amount of reverberation to echo and add some maniac energy to their screams. Its short but sweet and far better than I had expected. In this case the two forge engaging music that doesn't rely on head rocking tropes. Something I didn't think they did to well before.

Rating: 4/10

Turnstile "Move Thru Me" (2016)

So I thought I was done with the back catalog of Maryland based Hardcore band Turnstile. Then I stumbled onto this four track EP for Pop Wig records. Released two years prior to their major label debut Space & Time it includes a song from that record split into two on Side A and another two fresh tracks to be enjoyed on Side B! It all comes from a different recording session that has a warm "live" feel to it. The drums are crisp, punchy with a healthy dose of reverb that other instruments share to give it this roomy lively feel. Its a big and spacious sound the instruments fill with clarity.

This four track doesn't showcase Turnstile's emerging eclecticism, all the songs are meat and bones Hardcore with a crunch and their curation for the best riffs and grooves. The songs new to my ears are on just about par with their current form. Move Thru Me deploys some gang shouts between pinch harmonics as big tom drums and guitar leads builds up the songs momentum through its two repeated sections to an almost big slam of the main riff at the end that's just an iteration of a drum pattern.

Its a somewhat lack luster conclusion but the following Fuck Me Blind makes marks with its dissipating lyrics of ideas, boundaries and liberties. Effeminate vocals feature in the "wash it all away" section as the song shifts into summery pop and grunge vibes of the 90s for an uplifting finish to an otherwise fast and energetic listen of aggression and empowering Hardcore attitude. Its a great little find to squeeze more from a band I am highly anticipating another great record from whenever that may be. Turnstile have definitely been a favorite new discovery for me this year!

Favorite Track: Fuck Me Blind

Rating: 6/10

Ho99o9 "Cyber Cop" (2018)

Horror, stylized Ho99o9, are one of the most exciting acts Ive heard in recent years, their fusion of hardcore Hip Hop, Industrial and Punk with an anarchistic flavor is exhilarating! This new soundcloud EP flew right under my radar, which is a shame because its probably their best work yet! They struck me as having potential but in this moment its really manifesting. Their recent collaboration with The Prodigy seems to of rubbed off well on the duo as the production style here has more composure and occasional Big Beat vibes. The opening track even has a tune you could lift into a Prodigy song. Its also another short and sweet seven songs amassing eighteen minutes. A curated approach to music that is serving many artists well in my books.

A clear theme and identity for the record is established through its fascinating online release including digital artwork. Cyber Cop revolves around digital paranoia in this connected ages and stylizes its songs as unauthorized viruses. It lets the electronic aspect of their sound flourish with flavorful synths and digital noise playing into the computing heart of the theme. Just about every song has talking points. The second track has a hard siren and glittery beat you might link to Death Grips, however its the vocals that almost sound like MC Ride himself chanting Internet Thuggin' in a low voice. Its a maddening orgy of noise which much of the record indulges in. Mega City Nine samples Slipknot's Only One and Tattered & Torn, fusing their darkly demented melodies with vicious street raps. Its a treat for a metalhead who loves crossover however its the Punk and Industrial influences that dominate the narrative here.

Punk Police brings the unapologetic attitude to the forefront as the two yell into peaked mics shooting back at their critics. Its a short track with dirty synths and gritty drums, total Punk aesthetic! Delete My Browser History slows down the tempo and brings in some gorgeous 90s Industrial synth baselines also heard on the opening track. Its focus on atmosphere heightens when twirling, snappy synths jive in, leading to an explosion of distortion guitars that culminates exquisitely. It ends with Leader Of Pain, an absolute banger to play at high volume! The singing is phenomenal. They fully embrace a over the top echo reverberation and deliver unhinged maniacal chanting over slamming guitar riffs. It only plays its sweet spot twice and the second time it suddenly cuts off short, always leaving me yearning for more of the madness.  

Ive only talked in specifics so far. This record conjures it own realm of anarchistic digital madness that's spurred on by an aggressive release of youthful energy and rebellion. Its immediate and fiery, an adrenaline shot to the mind as it takes on an aesthetic assault fit to diverge down different paths which it does! Not a moment repeated itself and the seven tracks forge a unique distinction within the experience. Thrashing guitars, expansive electronics and a relentless vocal presence unite with explosive chemistry. This is undoubtedly their best to date and my current addiction!

Least Favorite Track: Forest Fires

Rating: 8/10

Turnstile "Step 2 Rhythm" (2013)

 Kicking off with a flavorful shimmer of western guitar tint over big theatrical chords, Step 2 Rhythm gets moving with a lick fit for a 90s tv theme song, just energeized. It switches back and forth between this uplift and the grit of guitar throw downs as the Hardcore riffs shred their power chord grooves. Its the first sign of an eclectic direction for the band and in brief instances it rises again through exotic Metal guitar leads and the outro. Otherwise thats about it. Despite this direction potentially manifesting into what I adore about Turnstile, this short twenty minute EP doesn't quite have the energetic charm of is successor Pressure To Succeed within the Hardcore department, which it primarily plays in tune to.

The opening stir of emotions is to early in its infancy to become anything other than a notable derivative at work. This is a straightforward record for the most part. The band go hard on guitar led grooves of power chord chugging set to slam on the floor as the drums crash in with appropriate half times and the vocals cry out with fiery aggression. Its fairly atypical and the reality is these feel like the b-sides to a better volume of work. Canned Heat bangs when the slam kicks in with a big group shout. Bar that one moment much of the songs felt reasonable but far from the magic Ive heard so far on other albums. It leaves me with little to say other than its been a fun listen but not to much to take away in comparison.

Rating: 5/10

Turnstile "Pressure To Succeed" (2011)

My praise and adoration for this band is growing fast. Listening backwards from the heights of Space & Time I expected a decline but the reality is their evolution as a somewhat eclectic band started in a strong place. Without their expanded pallet of styles we land on the origin point of pure energetic Hardcore aggression fondly reminiscent of Biohazard and Dog Eat Dog. This is their debut release, a short EP of six songs spanning fifteen minutes. Its all killer no filler, the formula is straight forward and to the point. Stomping rhythm guitars patrol, slamming drums reinforce the dynamic shifts between fast and mid tempos to give the beat downs a grooving edge. Brendan Yates stands out front with higher pitched yells and shouts to rile up the adrenaline as his words often queue in the shifts from one temperament to the next.

With very little beyond the scope of expectation it boils down to the quality of guitar riffs that lead the way and boy do they have the eminence to thrown down hard. The whole music can't be about punch line riffs and break downs. Their verse and build up riffs, all the bits in between, keeping the energy flowing with a disposition for excellence. Sometimes it seeps out with some prominent baselines and discordant guitar sections too. Best of all two songs embolden the tone with a very particular flavor of guitar lead I can't quite pin down, it reminds me fondly of Swedish Metal and stands out over the rest of the music, adding a new moody dimension of expression. That and the utterly riveting slam sections for the dance floor are buzzing on this record. Pressure To Succeed makes a feast out of its short duration. Great debut!

Favorite Track: New Rules, Pressure To Succeed
Rating: 7/10

Turnstile "Nonstop Feeling" (2015)

One of the years wilder records has been Turnstile's cracking Space & Time. As the months rolled by its weight has grown, the blossoming familiarity of these infectious songs has had me on the binge many times. Its will probably make my favorite albums of the year list and so Ive been prompted to go back and give their older records a try. Upon first checking out the Maryland based Hardcore act, I found these older songs to be a little stale but understanding their intent and musicality better now this previous record sounds like a whole new beast! One i was totally wrong about.

Their vein of Hardcore is so clearly rooted in the guitar groove and Crossover camp, baring some momentary resemblance to the likes of Biohazzard. They have two things that make them stand apart and have gone on to master with Space & Time, curation and eclecticism. Firstly the band have a lot of riffs in the arsenal that they churn through. Its exciting and energetic but with short songs and linear structures they burn through a lot of fantastic composition swiftly, leaving your appetite ripe for another spin. There is something to be said about hearing the same riff over and over in the context of listening to a record three times, or the verse chorus structure.

On the second note, the band shake up their sound with passageways that deviate from distortion guitar led riffage. Sometimes colorful inflections diversify the tone and with a couple of songs they drop the core identity entirely. Its always an organic transition that seems shaped up to dull the monotony that half an hour of straight Hardcore can bring. Bleach Temple's effect soaked guitar leads are uncannily akin to a Killing Joke record and it perfectly fuses a chugging guitar beat down and gang shouts. With clean melodic singing Blue By You transforms into a Pop Punk song, the decent sort of course. The influences they show off manifest wonderfully.

Another thing that has struck me about this band is the lyrical maturity. Ive heard some lines that resonate with me greatly. The angered approach to real emotion reminds me fondly of the Rollins Band and some true wisdom shapes up in the words "There is no such thing as truth. We all have a filter. Got to let it through". This record sounded deceptively straightforward at first. Turnstile continue to impress me, I hope more of their back catalog reaches this level of flavorful  artistic output.

Favorite Tracks: Gravity, Can't Deny It, Bleach Temple, Addicited

Rating: 7/10