Job For A Cowboy "Doom" (2005)

As the years pass by my memories of the Deathcore scene's days grow fonder. My recent addiction to Job For A Cowboy's classic Entombment Of A Machine has reminded me of just how much fun we had when the scene blew up. We got to watch all the new bands fly in from the states and it was wondeful. Although my introduction to the music was through Bring Me The Horizon (IIRC), this EP from the American group was where it all started, spawning many imitation bands in the wake of its unusual popularity and new style. Make no mistake, Entombment is an ugly song! Harsh and abrasive, its shrill pig squeals would challenge fans of guttural vocals yet somehow this Extreme Metal song spread like wildfire through the Myspace music scene, it would give them the exposure to land their debut album Genesis in a billboard chart two years later.

Its probably been a decade since I last listened to Doom in its twenty seven minute entirety. I believe the copy I own now has an extra track I had not heard before, which was a pleasant surprise as I remember all the other tracks like a day had not passed. The bonus song Entities leans more so in the direction of a fundamental Death Metal song towards its end, sharper blast beats, tighter riffing, a flashy guitar solo and only one pig squeal? Its a subtle indication of their next direction as a band, to rid themselves of the Hardcore influence and go strictly Death Metal on their full length debut album.

 The other five songs, minus the cinematic intro, are a riot of violence, a vile thrashing of dense guitars as snarling screams and guttural roars are all channeled into abstracted moments of groove that underpin the musics harsh, unforgiving aesthetic. The songs often drifts through brief passageways of ugly, bitter chaotic sounds in the wake of pinch harmonics and loose, rattling blast beats. These moments are swiftly transformed as the record's tracks all revolve around a philosophy of continual evolution. The ugliest moments are quickly transformed and transcended as gear shifts chop up the pace and allow slamming grooves to erupt, as the classic Entombment does so well.

The vocals are a big point of contention that could easily turn a listener off, the pig squeals are blunt and piercing. They jump into the music with little more than rhythmic sequencing as "bree bree" and "squee squee" clearly offers no lyrical content. I personally find it hilarious, between the swings of gritty shredding and slamming grooves the eruption of unwieldy squeals is an amusing testament to the nature of the music itself, a joke. That's not an insult but a means to say the music is clearly aware of its own deliberate abrasion and boisterous persona.

Everything must be taken with a pinch of salt, the ugly, challenging aesthetic is manipulated to extract the groove and excitement in music from the most devious of places. That is what is genius about extreme music and here Job For A Cowboy brandish a new fusion of ideas that would go on to spawn a whole new wave of Extreme Metal that would upset the old guard and stir controversy within the community that at the end of the day is a waste to even care about. Enjoy music if you can but don't spend your energy on hating it. Doom is fun, a really exhilarating listen full of obnoxious extremity.

Favorite Track: Entombment Of A Machine

Rating: 7/10

Turnstile "Space & Time" (2018)

Hailing from Baltimore USA, Hardcore Punk outfit Turnstile are set to make a splash with this fantastic sophomore album released through the reputable Roadrunner Records. Despite playing in a genre that's approaching its forth decade the five piece group bring a healthy dose of youthful vitality to give every thrashing of a power chord and striking of the drum kit a sense of urgency and meaning. From the get go its a grabbing listen set to suck you in and spit you out ready to take on the world! At just twenty five minutes its a short and sweet thrashing that leaves one rejuvenated.

With a crisp, finely cut production, Turnstile's charisma is squeezed out with succulent, appetizing guitar tones, ripping with a bright, blinding distortion the lets every riffs intensity breeze by. The hard thrashing of chords, leaning into Crossover territory at times is a constant driving force but its not where the band charm, or should I say charm the most, these riffs slam hard! With keen compositions they interpolate aesthetics, disrupting and rerouting the intensity that's all to obvious with the straightforward Hardcore approach. Each song finds its moment to steer the ship in smart yet slightly unconventional directions to much avail.

On the heated, angered Generator this direction becomes obvious when the song seems set to erupt yet falls back into a shoegazing calm of aesthetic guitar effects and sampled drum loop that then swiftly jumps out into a chomping guitar riff illuminated by fantastic vocals and a swell guitar solo. For the other songs that dabble in this play with unexpected directions it is often the vocals that play a key role as the fiery shouts and screams seem a distant memory in the wake of smooth, gleaming vocal lines that rise above the instrumental. It has to be said the screams are fantastic tho, and very akin to a young Tom Araya of the legendary Slayer.

In other instances its less obvious, like the frantic piano stabbing that elevates the fast pummeling riffage of High Pressure, adding a real sharp intensity for a brief moment. It always seems like their is a quirk up the sleeve, a slightly unusual idea to give a very structured sound a sense of freedom and exploration as the songs steer themselves into exciting moments with plenty of mini guitar solos to lead you into the fun. It comes from all angles with creative drum grooves and clap sounds dropping in to abstract the norm in opportune moments too.

Space & Time is such a fun, vibrant and youthful record that is simply brimming with excitement as its aesthetic and compositions continually dazzle and erupt with aggressive energies that are steered away from dark places. Thanks to its creativity, the anger is often uplifted as brooding guitar riffs find a touch of bounce and groove, ready to steer things upwards as the songs take their usual shifts into interesting places. One thing to note, the introduction of these more melodic, warm musical voices greatly out shine the songs more routed to the norm. Fantastic record with some clear winners in the track listing!

Favorite Tracks: Generator, I Don't Wanna Be Blind, Can't Get Away, Moon, Time & Space
Rating: 8/10

Harm's Way "Posthuman" (2018)

Hailing from Chicago Illinois, Harm's Way are a Hardcore five-piece outfit who have been at it for twelve years, recently putting out this release, their forth full length record. I can't decide if its the music of Posthuman, or my apatite for excessively aggressive music dwindling that's minimized my enjoyment. Harm's Way are just a step behind the cutting edge and thirty three minutes of this dense, meaty pummeling anger echos too many shades of other bands for something unique to emerge.

Coming from Hardcore and Metalcore roots, one can hear a pursuit of aggressive aesthetics overtaking the core of their sound as the continual barrage of fiery riffs assaults on a tonal level before the music itself, in other words mediocre riffs propped up by intense textures. Mammoth crunchy guitar distortions and punchy drum strikes hammer away in unison through a production that compresses as much sound into tiny spaces as it can, giving the music a claustrophobic, suffocating power when its guitars chug away at full pelt. It doesn't go to the extremes that a band like Nails do but one can hear the creaks and groans of extreme distortion ready to burst at the seems.

In a guitar dominated record, their Hardcore riffs often feel extenuated with a touch of Grindcore's ferociousness. The syncopation of Nu Metal riffs from days gone by delineates its influence and the bounce of Groove Metal jumps into more persuasive breakdown riffs. A couple of songs exhort Industrial Metal tonalities, pounding beats with mechanical, industrious drives from the drummer. The song Temptation feels like a direct response to Code Orange who have been experimenting with mixing atmosphere guitar dissonance leading into sonic beat downs, the song is akin to some of theirs and despite being decent feels like a carbon copy.

The album plays through with a very consistent intensity, which is much the same of their one dimensional singer. In the first half its more in sync with my words so far and as the last few songs roll around it feels as if their roots come across stronger. The Gift however sounds very inspired by Godflesh. All in all there is not a lot that stands out here for anything other than being too similar to sounds I'm exhausting my apatite for. Its a fair record with little to criticize but without that spark of excitement for something new and fresh it quickly becomes dull.

Rating: 4/10

Converge "The Dusk In Us" (2017)

Converge, a band with a reputation, known as pioneers of the more erratic strain of a Heavy Metal and Hardcore crossover, the Massachusetts based band have never pulled me in yet. Skimming over some of their classics like Jane Doe, I couldn't feel the spark others have raved about for years and unfortunately that's all I can say of this release that has made a fair few top album lists this year... or last. Its mostly not working for me, a few bombastic moments grab a nod but its artsy emotional soundscapes of rip roaring guitar noise and fluttery melodies tangled in disharmony pass me by as they rub up against one another, much like the vocal and guitars.

Disheveled screams rattle away, rippling of the music in a fury of rage. They bounce from the music in their harsh rawness, dispelling any chemistry the bands vision had in store. Elasticated riffs spasm in perpetual motion, their fate at the mercy of the guitarists who love to wail in with hissing screeches of feedback amidst the aimless assault. Battering his kit the drummer flexes dexterously with a solid display of composition that queues the direction and holds musical ideas firmly in place.

I can hear what Converge are going for here. Expansive music lines the front of erratic pummeling Hardcore, broadening the scope with songs that opens up into vivid places far beyond the core of the sound. Singer Bannon's voice just doesn't sit right with me, the constant delves into structure devoid thrashings and nonsensical anti-melodies threw me off pace whenever the band get going. In a few songs, ie the title track, Bannon drops his screeching making an impression but whenever the album builds some atmosphere its quickly demolished. Would liked to of enjoyed this more but the majority of music here drags it down to far for my ears.

Rating: 3/10

Biohazard "Urban Discipline" (1992)

After "Tales From The Hardside" sucked me into the Crossover Thrash world of NYC's Biohazzard I couldn't help but check out their sophomore full length which critics often site as their best record. Where State Of World Address captured my interest, their prior release Urban Discipline owns it. Filled with fist thumping grooves, lively gang shouts and the aggressive "in your face" raps of front men Evan and Billy, Biohazzard get us fired up with adrenaline soak tunes to stomp along with.

Demanding self respect with an attitude, words come from the inner strength, street hard mentality to point the finger at societies woes with a voice of reason to shine focus on apparent hypocrisies. Every song has a stance to hold ground and grit your teeth as guitars slam in with Hardcore dance floor movers between power chord thrashings to pull intensities from two avenues. Most the songs play off this dichotomy as gang shouts often throttle us from the lineage of chord arrangements to low end chugging slams.

With a rather chromatic, dated production the songs benefit from a consistent, slightly dulled tone that doesn't over emphasis musical shifts with bombastic, audacious instruments. Instead the muted clarity lets the gear shifts creep up on you with the next riffs magic taking you by surprise. Even after plenty of spins I find them catching me off guard as the music outpaces its dated production. The base drum kick would be all but lost if not for heavy syncopation and the snare has a harsh rattle but the drums still rock the grooves and hold the music together.

At the front of the music the thuggish rapping duo have remarkable charm when it comes to energy and passion as their liveliness makes mockery of the flat sung notes and narrow shouts the two pull off. My favorite song "Business" is loaded with off notes as they push beyond their vocal range. The fantastic lyrics, heartfelt charisma and intense guitars make it a personal highlight for me. "Music's for you and me! Not the fucking industry". The production dulls its glowing energy somewhat but can't stop it from being a real skull cracker in the opening half. It lets itself down towards the end as it draws out with various ideas and experiments that don't quite work out as well.

 Favorite Tracks: Chamber Spins Three, Business, Man With A Promise

Rating: 7/10

Enter Shikari "Take To The Skies" (2007)

Its unbelievable to think ten years have flown by but that's life. "Take To The Skies" is the unleashing of our local band Enter Shikari onto the world. Ive seen this band go from the school down the road to headlining festivals and this album is a personal one, loaded full of fond memories and strong emotions. It was a big event, we got to see some of their pivotal shows around that era including their Download performance of the same year in the big blue tent which was absolutely rammed and loaded with mosh pits.

It's no masterpiece but a personal triumph for fans of Enter Shikari, a band you can truly adore if they push your buttons. "Take To The Skies" had no surprises, the culmination of their best songs from years of utterly relentless touring are polished and fined tuned alongside three or so new tracks. Its all glossed up with album quality production and a reworking of the electronics to flesh out all their songs with which raving synth lines that bleed into the interludes lined between a handful of tracks.

In retrospect the lack of subtly on this record is a charm the band would grow with time to gleam upon. The raw fusion of Hardcore throw downs and rampant rave electronics is undeniable in the wake of their youthful energy and inspired charisma. Its never gotten old, the fantastic chemistry to create energetic, uplifting and fun music with a real backbone of feeling and lead them into explosions of aggression with grooving beat downs and guitar chugging breakouts that would always get a crowd moving. Seeing the path they have taken, it becomes apparent how simplistic some of the compositions are but Shikari pull it off with a stroke of inspiration that you cant criticize given its authenticity.

The albums flow is flawed, It gets of to a wild start with fan favorites and two new tracks then the interludes break up the flow and the second half unwinds at a different pace, leading to the fantastic "Adieu" with would showcase the genius to expect of this band leading forward. It ends with the explosive "Ok, Time For Plan B" after its infectious build up, a great choice to end on before the closing tracks echos of the albums opener. It gives the record somewhat of a compilation vibe given the attachment of knowing most the music before its release and I'm not sure if the interludes were an attempt to create a bigger picture with the record as a whole but I never felt it succeeded in doing that, if it was the intent.

 Its the music that's wonderful and the years gone by make me realize how foundational they were as songwriters then. Singer Rou's screams and shouts are so fitting of the scene at that time and stylistically raw. The synths are accents of the tone, not woven in but aligning with the music and in many cases leading it. The beat downs are again atypical of the scene yet executed with an edge of creativity and always in the direction of the music, never rumbling out of nowhere and always feeling like an essential part of the music. Its truly fascinating and speaks volumes to the music these guys would write with their currently best record "The Mindsweep".

I adore this record and trying to be objective I wouldn't consider it a classic but on a personal level the nostalgia, adventure and fun of the time are deeply connected to the music and Shikari will always hold a special place for all the amazing memories. I think even back then we knew this band would be special forever to come. I little gutted now I missed the anniversary show this year but I will see them soon and forever be revisiting this wonderful record. On a final note I think its fitting to point out this record was an independent release on their own record label and their DIY ethic speaks volumes to the passion they have that you can hear running through this album.

Rating: 10/10

Biohazard "State Of The World Address" (1994)

It must of been around ten years ago that I picked up a couple records from the legendary Biohazard of NYC. I didn't get that far into their music and given their city it should be no surprise to hear they pulled elements of Metal and Hardcore together with a wealthy influence of Hip Hop, something you'd guess I'm dead into. Their thuggish street attitude and hardcore raps lined the Crossover sound with what was to be commonly know as Rap Metal before Nu Metal had yet to happen. Watching Noisy's piece on Post-Malone a segment with the rapper miming the words to "Tales From The Hardstyle" had me gripped, after learning it was Biohazard I have been binging on this record!

This record has a ton of energy, hurtling towards you through the lively guitars ripping Hardcore and Metal grooves on bruising distortion tones. Lined with a crisp and cutting drum kit the stage is set for vocalists Seinfeld and Graziadei to raise the stakes with shouted lyrics and raps, often blurring the lines between the two. Their best flows often cruise over the grooviest sections of riffage in the songs and plenty of gang shouts help bolster the street mentality that can be heard throughout the record.

A couple of tracks really blaze the trail but despite the lively setting and arising attitude a lot of the songs falls back on mediocre riffs that get a little dull after many listens. A couple of odd ideas crop up in the track listing. "Failed Territory" sounds entirely from a different band, an enchanting Spanish guitar leads us into an dark, haunting orchestral interlude that would be more fitting on a Cradle Of Filth record with its dark and illustrious keys clattering echos of Chopin's Funeral Macrbe. The intro to "Love Denied" also stars with dramatic, melancholy keys that might think you were being led into a heartache ballad if it wasn't for a an obtuse guitar solo grounding the theme in its Metal setting.

Both those moments felt out of place but otherwise its a really fun record with a fair weight of heavy topics between empowering strength and mentality focused Hardcore messages. Its been a great re-introduction to them but reading up on the band their prior release "Urban Discipline" seems to be their crowning moment so that's what ill be checking out next!

Favorite Tracks: Down For Life, Tales From The Darkside, Five Blocks To The Subway, Lack There Of

Rating: 6/10

Municipal Waste "Slime And Punishment" (2017)

Its the sixth release from legendary east coast outfit Municipal Waste. Formerly viewed as "revival crossover" their sixteen year tenure has established them as one of Crossovers best. Last time I checked in with them was back in 2007 where they were riding a wave of hype that produced wild festival shows with fans literally bringing surf boards to crowd surf at the bands command. It was quite the memorable show but since then I never stayed tuned in with the band, after five years of silence it seemed like a good time to give them another whirl and see if their upto the same old tricks.

"Slime And Punishment" is a fast and fun, thrashy blast of party hard, headbanging aggression that's not to be taken seriously. They have hardly evolved in ten years and the addition of a second guitarist doesn't seem to have given their sound any new edge. There are not many parts of this record that utilize two tracks, beyond a backing track for a guitar solo its mostly unable to break away from linear guitar work. Just another riff fest of crossover that brings far more thrash in the guitar work with all the classic chugging rhythms and grooves, power chord shredding rearranged to create another set of mosh friendly tracks for the energetic live show.

Tony Foresta's strained shouts bring the hardcore edge with a constant barrage of gang vocals chiming in along side him. "Parole Violators" presents a missed opportunity as a breakdown riff leads into some comical role play between a corrupt sleazy cop and skate punk, painting a hilarious image of an oldskool corrupted authoritarian attitude, the sort you'd see in movies reflecting times gone by. This album would of have a real wild card up its sleeve with more of that comical edge. Unfortunately its just another rapid riff fest of head bobbing fun, composed, performed and produced with a routine level of excellence from experienced metalheads that lacked a spark to really get me into it. Solid album but didn't offer anything I haven't heard done before.

Rating: 5/10

Code Orange "I Am King" (2014)

Code Orange's latest release Forever was certainly an intriguing listen when we look past the apparent upfront brutality. Released three years earlier, I Am King is the groups second release and one I am far more fond of, where Forever has a manipulating hand of mischievous intent that seems to intentionally derange the music, this release is much more conventional however they strike a balance where the unorthodox and heretic meddles within the walls of expectation.

Kicking off with a booming, harrowing synth, chopping in and out of focus the band fire up moments later with a manic wall of sound before dropping into a fiery guitar thrashing. It breaks to noisy dissonant chords, dense in atmosphere then jumps forward into a bouncy Nu Metal like riff. Then with a switch into a circle pit paced hardcore stomp, back to the wall of sound and then slamming into a beat down it sets us on a ride. You get the picture, its all over the place, back and forth, setting the tone for whats to come, a restless erratic energy that will switch and shuffle on you seamlessly, despite the difference, without a moment for you to rest.

All though this churning is true in parts, after the first track things seem to fall into place, each song focusing on its flavor of chaos that emerged in the opening calamity of styles. "Dream In Inertia" offers a different spice, its a slow dreary track of gloomy echoing acoustics and hammered out power chords slugging at a slower pace, the band come back to this on "Starve" and the two break the flow. It holds up well between a constant pummeling of ripe, enthusiastic fist thrashing heaviness of hard, angry music that's got the boldness to strike for atmosphere and use slow bludgeoning riffage as its weapon of distraction.

This would of been a much better introduction to the band. For thirty two minutes they have you at their mercy, within familiar conventions. The sprawl of aggression is menacing and it kicks hard and doesn't let up to its last breath which suits a short listen well. The albums production is rock solid and captures a lot of texture and tone in the guitars which is important in its dissonant and noisy sections. A much better record than its successor however that wild experimentation may have something yet to give. A mix between these to stages would be ideal.

Favorite Tracks: Slowburn, Alone In A Room

Rating: 8/10

Code Orange "Forever" (2017)

Previously know as "Code Orange Kids", this brutal Pittsburgh five piece outfit throw down with bloody fists. "Forever" is the groups third and my first. On my radar for a while I only got around to them just before Download Festival when I realized I would get the opportunity to see them. Ive since binged on the brutality and grown to adore this gritty, blunt, meat grinding band who blew me away with their gnarly, intense live performance. This record is a contender for the years heaviest.

With the first few listens my point of reference was strangely enough Deathcore. The reality is its far from, the consistent bludgeoning, chugging and breakdowns mirror that of the aforementioned. The difference its the trope, where techniques and sections once became calculated, predictable and formulaic as hoards of bands rode the wave, the band turn ideas on there side and reinvent the punishment due. Beatdowns are etched in unconventional time patterns, the entry and exit points dislocated. The commonality seems at the constant mercy of the cryptic overbearing hand that twists, slices and distorts the music to its whim. You can expect the building momentum to steer along a new path, the chug to churn a few extra bars or the music to seemingly drop out mid riff to an industrious synth. Amidst the convention this force often hides in the lurking dissonance of eerie guitar distortions or in the refuge of gritty, dense, biting synths that push their way to the forefront.

The band present two sides on this record. Cruel, violent, savagery in their metallic head thrashing numbers and with "Bleeding In The Blur" and "Ugly", refrained tunes one can sing along to. The intensity remains but the punch line comes from tuneful, if not still fiery, guitar riffs that have a more emotional, personal context, tinged with a whiff of Grunge. "The Mud" would serve as a midway point where this other style seems at the mercy of the tempered hand that cuts out the singing mid tempo, plunging it underwater to drown in the unsettling synth phase that replaces if, before splicing into a seemingly more conventional chug, discord, chug, discord riff that's been tortured to deface its usual structure.

The albums aesthetics are another knife edge of brutality. Tonal, thick, dense and cutting guitars bring a metallic texture to Hardcore performing. The drums fire away with a powerful, thudding kick drum and punching snare to cut through to the front. The cymbals are a little downplayed and under them rumbles the enormous bass guitar with a dense gritty, noisy texture that can get behind the rhythm guitar or step up to the front with a menacing prowl. Vocal duties are shared three of the five and the variety adds to the chaos. Reba Meyers voice however has an emotional energy which really elevates, could of done with more of her however it suits the other direction the band can steer in, leaving one wondering how good an album strictly in that stance could be.

"Forever" is a wild and powerful ride at a fast twenty eight minutes, leaving no room for filler or distraction and right to the point record. The mysterious nature of abrupt interruptions and their disjointed relations make me wonder if something more archetypal is at work. In my current state of awe towards such a devastatingly aggressive record Its hard to see its flaws. My main thought is simply how will this hold up over time? I suspect the shock and awe could dull a little over time but right now its unexpectedness is winning me over when i have the appetite for audio punishment.

 Favorite Tracks: Real, Bleeding The Blur, The New Reality, Ugly, No One Is Untouchable

Rating: 7/10

Body Count "Bloodlust" (2017)

It felt like such a huge privileged to catch Body Count a couple years back at Download Festival. As their performance came to a close the legendary Ice-T and his Hardcore Metal group stood on stage with the realization this could well be there last live show in the UK. I took this as a sending off, that in his 50s maybe this was it for the group, so it came as a huge shock to hear they had released their sixth record, one that could easily be considered among their best. Very relevant, politically charged with nothing held back, "Bloodlust" is a raw and blunt record with a lot of bite.

Ive always loved how the group found a connection between Metal and themes of street violence, most commonly heard in Hip Hop music. Bringing his life experiences and knowledge of the streets, Ice-T has no remorse performing from the perspective of societies most brutal and unforgiving characters, taking it to vivid extremes as he walks us through the thoughts and actions of a character like Jeffery Dahmer on "Here I Go Again", the track dressed with torturous screams in the chorus to bring the atmosphere to life. His unfiltered views might be a lot to handle but on "No Live Matter" I think he nails the mark, making a bold statement that racism is a distraction in a system that targets its most vulnerable, often pitting them against one another. There is a lot of violence, crime and bluntness in his words that may not be for everyone, his performance though as commanding and ripe with anger as ever.

On the instrumental side we have a crisp, rounded production with lean guitars capable of delivering the brutality without excessive distortion. The performance and instrumentation is tight, a hybrid of Groove, Thrash and Hardcore that's capable of stretching itself in several directions for pummeling aggression on "Walk With Me..." and slower, moody tracks like "God, Please Believe Me". It makes for a solid record that offers a lot as it goes through its motions. Its biggest strength in my mind are the Grooves, its loaded with tight, momentous riffs that rock heavy in their metallic tone from start to end, with a fair amount of spicy lead guitar thrown in to.

Its not a record that dazzles but Body Count are in-sync and on point here, giving us a helping dose of exactly what we want. If it has a weak point, the middle of the records cover of "Raining Blood" doesn't quite suit Ice-T's vocal tone, however the instrumental is rock solid. It starts of with a statement of the band hailing their big influences, Black Sabbath, Suicidal Tendencies & Slayer, before diving into the legendary song. Its been a very enjoyable few days binging this record! No doubt its one ill enjoy again and again.

Favorite Tracks: No Lives Matter, Bloodlust, Black Hoodie

Rating: 7/10

Hellmouth "Oblivion" (2017)

With fire and flames "Oblivion" burns through its sixteen tracks in a frenzy of anger, rage and fury. Clocking in at thirty three minutes its a relentless pummeling that only lets up in moments of atmospheric Post-Metal guitar noise that is a welcome twist to a primarily Crossover sound. Being the Detroit bands first record in over seven years, it doesn't sound like a big stylistic leap is at work but between sticking to their full throttle, high octane guns. Their sound inches into new territory in several moments littered through the track listing. With slower Post-Metal moments and tinges of Black Metal, Post-Punk and Groove Metal licks there are brief instances of creativity and imagination that trumps the unfiltered violence of their rage educed thrashing.

Motivated by humane, religious and political corruption themes the album plays like a constant thunder of urgent alarm. Its production is intense, monstrous guitar tones clamor into the forefront, accompanied by the powerful, brutal drum kit that thunders away as lots of noisy dissonance melds into the unleashed musical force. Singer Jay Navarro leads the charge with an alarming scream that although may not be the most welcoming of textures has a ton of passion and anger coming through furious shouts.

In the bands core identity lies a rather predictable approach to Crossover brutality. In some moments it hits hard but in others it feels as if the uncontrollable aesthetic tone just isn't quite as exciting as the energy it puts forth. Its in the slower moments where atmosphere and craft emerge from the routine trashing that more excitable music is found. Unfortunately the elasticity between the two didn't spark anything special and it played out like a routine stretch of brutality with bits of life briefly sprinkled in. Hellmouth have a great aesthetic but for me its most pleasing within the creative and atmospheric moments rather than the constant barrage of hate the band aim to assault you with.

Favorite Tracks: Welcome To The Undertow, Blood Free, Dementia From The Void, Coliseum Oblivio, Pathetic Bullshit

Rating: 5/10

Iron Reagan "Crossover Ministry" (2017)

Given this bands line up, consisting of members from Municipal Waste, Cannibas Corpse and Darkest Hour, you may consider them a super group of sorts. They are very much in the spirit of Singer Foresta's main band Municipal Waste, Crossover, that moment in the 80s where Thrash Metal and Hardcore music crossed paths. Iron Reagan is all about the fun and attitude of the music, with the occasional political statement sprinkled in it is mostly a balls to the wall thrasher of a record that goes full pelt for the hell of it, barely letting up for a breather.

Its leaning is far more to the Hardcore but the occasional bursts of fast guitar thrashing and electric guitar solos keep it all hanging in the balance. With that comes a consistency as the eighteen short songs stick to a fairly routine formula instrumentally. The albums tone is frenetic, sonic and sounds is if its ready to burst at the seems in any moment. A gorgeous, punchy snare drum compliments the distortion guitars that has a reminiscent Slayer tone to it with the more Metal riffs. Underneath it the thuds of pedal kicks and rumbling baselines add to the imminent and maddening vibrations.

With a consistency in approach one song generally bleeds into the next and the affair becomes a little monotone but in a few moments it elevates itself with theme and a sense of humor. "Fuck The Neighbors" poking fun at party hard attitudes with an anthem to blare at rude neighbors who complain about loud music at five in the morning! Total jokes... that and a few other songs liven up what is a little stale album given a large selection of similar sounding riffs. The records tone, energy and attitude makes for a fun experience although it was dampened a little for me by Foresta's thin screams which just aren't to my taste the gang shouts however are fantastic and make many a good hook through the run time.

Favorite Tracks: Dead With My Friends, Fuck The Neighbors, Bleed The Fifth, Dogsnotgods

Rating: 6/10

Suicidal Tendencies "World Gone Mad" (2016)

Mediocrity is currently the theme but its not surprising when getting to the older acts who released new material this year. Its usually the fresh faces that push boundaries and Suicidal certainly had their moment in history being the band to mix Hardcore and Thrash Metal, known as Crossover Thrash. Their song "Institutionalized" was a big hit on MTV, when MTV played music videos and a couple of their early records are considered genre classics. Singer Mike Muir is the only remaining original member on their 12th full length record which includes the recruitment of legendary Dave Lombardo of Slayer on drums, who does a solid job but little to save the record from its averages.

So the album opens with a real banger, "Clap Like Ozzy" a furious fast passed thrasher with a meaty base line rattling away under the high intensity guitars. Mike Muir does his usual thing but fails to make much of an impression beyond the title hook, most of the chorus / vocal hooks are in the title making for rather predictable moments. You could guess the records theme by the title alone and its no surprise that the lyrics delve into many problems of the world, however little insight is provided beyond pointing at apparent hypocrisys and madness observed.

Like many run of the mill records the best songs are loaded at the front and the initial thrashy, fist pumping energy gives way to a fair amount of acoustic moments which wind down the record with two finishing acoustic tracks which had potential to be far better. "Happy Never After" caught my attention with eerie Gothic guitar leads reminiscent of Christian Death but that was as out of the ordinary as things got. There not much more I can say, its passable, listenable, mostly forgettable but has a couple of exciting tracks to remember.

Favorite Tracks: Clap Like Ozzy, The New Degeneration, Living For Life, Get Your Fight On!

Rating: 5/10

Nails "Unsilent Death" (2010)

Pushing the Grindcore sound to its groovy extremes, Nails are an American underground band from California who Ive been noticing over the years have built a bit of a cult reputation. Ive sighted them frequently mentioned as one of Metal's most extreme sounds. To my ears they have re-invented the wheel, taking the core Punk and Metal values of Grindcore and reinvigorating the attitude with a dense claustrophobic wall of sound production that will have you foaming at the mouth in the wake of its aesthetic intensity. Formed in 07, "Unsilent Death" is the bands debut "full length" clocking in at just under fourteen minutes across its ten songs.

And so the album opens like a flood of water bursting through the seems. Our ear drums are pelted with a ruthless pummeling blast beat, furious throaty screams of anger and strangulating guitars that smother and creep into every each of sound with their monstrously dense distortion tones. Its disorienting, fast and nauseous but as the smoke settles and one adjusts a quite simplistic set of grooving riffs emerge as the musical backbone. With hints of Thrash, Punk, Hardcore and Groove Metal the riffs alternate between different intensities and in their short life cycles they steer clear of wearing themselves out. It plays like one big song that's forever shifting gears as the burdening aesthetic intensifies all that's on display.

The records most interesting moment comes on the title track as screeching guitar feedback sounds intimidate over the top of a gorgeously low and textural bass guitar that groans in its over driven tone. It leads into an effective but primitive breakdown that has notable influences from the Deathcore scene and trends of the time. Beyond that its business as usual, with nothing out of the ordinary. Nails's strength is in the aesthetic which is certainly something to marvel, behind it a rather atypical set of riffs that don't defy expectation. They are like Napalm Death on crack, so much so hearing some of their records with this aesthetic would be an interesting treat. The bands overwhelming sound intensifies what might not be as impressive in a regular setting, either way its a fun listen to get you fired up for some carnage and hand banging which ends with a monstrous riff in the closing moments of "Depths".

Favorite Tracks: Unsilent Death, Depths

Rating: 6/10

Fugazi "Repeater + 3 Songs" (1990)

One, two, three, four, Ribena! No, not the fruit drink, repeater is the word! A misheard lyric I just corrected myself on as I looked up the track listing preparing to write. "Repeater + 3 Songs" is the bundling of Fugazi's critically acclaimed debut record and a 3 track EP released months earlier in 1989. I've been meaning to get around to Ian MacKaye's music for sometime and was delighted to find something quite attuned to the Post-Punk and Hardcore sounds Ive been listening to recently. "Repeater" is fantastic for reasons I can't put my finger on. Its easy on the ears, full of life and energy with a raw authenticity that tackles the harder subject matter.

Formerly just the brainchild of guitarist, singer, MacKaye, "Repeater" is the turning point where the group decided to write music together. Its apparent they have a golden chemistry in this moment as an organic and free sound emerges that loosens the conventional song structures to allow all sorts of magic to happen between the guitars and drums with plenty of rhythm breaking and noisy atmospheric guitars to break up the repetitive riffs with expansive sounds often playing with feedback and reverbs. Much of whats hard about Hardcore remains in the moments of aggressive guitar playing as hints of Post-Punk, Rock and Grunge play into their sound but mostly its one of those records that's carved its own niche.

The records best tracks feature vibrant bass lines with a warm, bold, golden tone that the guitars play expansive riffs over, bursting Post-Rock like atmospheres into pockets of the songs. The drums join in too between conventional beats and syncopate with the instruments. MacKaye and Picciotto take turns on vocals and both of them bring a passion with light screams and emotional singing to further illuminate the energy exuding from the instrumentals. The whole chemistry is a fine thing and there is something rather momentary about this record that has been captured in a gorgeous recording that has stood the test of time, sounding fantastic to this day. Between its best songs a couple don't reach the same mark but that's simply a compliment to how excellent some of these tracks are. A deep, artful rock record with a slightly aggressive overtone addressing heavy subjects.

Favorite Tracks: Turnover, Repeater, Blueprint, Sieve-Fisted Find, Shut The Door

Rating: 8/10

Cryptic Slaughter "Speak Your Peace" (1990)

Cryptic Slaughter are an American Crossover Thrash band from the 80s who had a very young line up, in terms of age, during in their short six year life span. They released four full length records, this being their last released in the same year that they split up. Their debut was released in 86 when some of the members were only 16 years old! Young bands are more common in today's freedom of access internet driven music scenes, back then it was rather a rarity. As a crossover band Cryptic Slaughter had more of a Thrash leaning on the guitars and drums, mixing up common techniques with Hardcore sounds too, the music themes and open mindedness of the record leans more so in the other direction. As a fan of both Hardcore Punk and Thrash Metal I was keen to give this one a listen, as I have heard the bands name mentioned by many reputable artists.

"Speak Their Peace" made its mark on me through its political, social and philosophical statements. There's a lot of observation and reflection apparent in the lyrics which make thoughtful points about the environment, society, ethics and a cynical criticism of the often overlooked issues in society. On the title track the line "I'm sick of hearing there is nothing we can do, I'm sick of hearing that nothing ever changes, well change changes, what we do gets done" really truck me. Brilliant denial of pessimistic attitudes. Its a rebellious soundtrack of alternative ideas that are rooted in logic and reason with a warm dose of compassion.

The instrumentals accompanying the angry shouting voice of injustice are also rather dense with substance and ideas. The tone is heavy in mood rather than texture with many riffs walking from one to the next, interlacing discords between moments of heaviness. The baselines don't shy away from the stage playing a big warm role jumping out between the silence of the distortion guitar and climbing the fret-board for higher notes too. In general it plays rather organically with each moment unraveling into the next, never settling still and continually moving into the next orchestrated riff section, occasionally throwing in half measures and often varying on repetitions.

It adds up to thirty three minutes of energetic, to the point Crossover that makes its point firmly. Its got attitude and a guitar style that sets it apart from other bands. Although its Thrash can be thrashy, and its Hardcore commonplace too its the continual meshing of the two ideas that roots it in a unique place. The recordings production is solid for the time, nothing is especially clear or sublime but each instrument fits into the mix so well, its a very balanced construct that lets the music do all the talking.

Favorite Tracks: Insanity By The Numbers, Speak Your Peace, Killing Time

Rating: 8/10

Ho99o9 "Dead Bodies In The Lake" (2014)

Horror, stylized Ho99o9, are an American Hip Hop duo from Los Angeles who perform a noisy and twisted, dark breed of Hip Hop influenced by Hardcore Punk and Horrorcore. Its most likely that people will draw comparisons with Death Grips as a influence when discussing this band, however this mixtape would suggest that despite their abrasive and noisy approaches to Hip Hop they are fundamentally different in terms of inspiration and attitude. I caught them at Download Festival and the fifteen minutes of their set blew me away, so much rebellious energy and stage presence. Their most impressive song was "DeathKult Disciplines" which can be found on this record so that's where I decided to start.

"Dead Bodies In The Lake" sets the tone with an audio clip from a movie of young kids discussing guns and a dead body they found. From there it grows with dissonant bass synths and outbursts of Hardcore guitars into a Punk sprawl of smashing crash symbols and restless shouted vocals throwing words like raps while remaining firmly Hardcore. After two tracks a gurgling baseline and sinister synth line pull together with a hollow beat to form the foundations of a hellish, paranoid Rap song. Its lead melody paranoid and deranged, taking a trip into a psychotic mind.

The record flexes between these two styles, in one half its wild, energetic and full of loud rebellion fit for mosh pits and hardcore dancing. On the other it dives into horrid, dingy, back alley raps spite with psychotic personas. The duo have a charm for hooks when slamming along to the distortion guitars which are often grooving, the accommodating arsenal of rambunctious drumming and frittering electronic noises amplify their wild tone with an infectious stir. The twos flows when performing more traditional raps aren't exactly spectacular and the extent of their horror shock lyrics doesn't save the Rap side of the record from feeling dull and played out. They have a full length on the way, I hope they steer the ship towards the better half of their sound which has a unique flair and bright chemistry great for live shows.

Favorite Track: DeathKult Disciplines

Rating 5/10

Hüsker Dü "New Day Rising" (1985)

 This record peaked my interest when reading through several "Top 500" album lists. I'd never heard of this American Hardcore group before but given my interest in the genre I gave it a try. I'll be blunt, this record was not for me, the reason behind its high praise and acclaim alludes me and I'm left with a record that I've given months too and every time I give it a spin, I full into a lull, failing to engage. You can't expect to like everything and that always feel like a loss to me, a missed experience.

The record opens with its striking guitar sound, a thin, flat, buzzed out distortion tone tinging with an inharmonious quality floods the air. Its an uncomfortable vibration piercing through solid baselines and a tight powerful drum sound. On occasion it finds a moment with some well constructed riffs but for the most part falls flat on indulgence, its comparable to primitive Black Metal distortion, but not as appealing for me. To make things worse the vocals screech and yell off key, a rawness I'd usually go for but in this instance it made for sore ears. Voice cracks and miss hit notes are littered through the record, its got passion but I can't vibe with it.

The records production is pretty rough and varied too, many songs sound like they are from different sessions and some serve the record much better than the opener. The albums second song is a mighty fine track, showing off the bands ability to write catchy pop songs, unfortunately the aesthetics and performances strip many of the tracks of what is inherently good song writing, great choruses and sing along hooks, although this could only be said for a handful of tracks in the opening half. As the record drones on the musical ideas get less and less interesting and the guitar tone gets tiring.

Favorite Song: Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill

Rating: 3/10

Madball "Set It Off" (1994)

Madball are a Hardcore group from New York who formed in the late 80s and released this, their first album, in 1994, a post prime era for the Hardcore Punk / Crossover Thrash sound they deliver so boldly on this record. It exemplifies the energetic, attitude driven approach laid down by Hardcore bands in the 80s and delivers them in an easy to digest package that makes for a reasonable debut record.

In twenty six minutes Madball shred through 14 tracks of fist pumping, adrenaline soaked aggression. Focused tight palm mute crunching and power chord slamming, the guitars guide these songs to their grooves fit for mosh dancing. A ruthless atmosphere is built as the kit punches tight bouncy rhythms between the crisp snare and thudding base kick, the guitars delivering riff after riff of Hardcore fueled aggression. To no surprise the themes put across through Cricen's gruff shouts are of mental attitude. Pride, honor and respect, telling stories of personal betrayal, justice and the strength to deal with the hardships people put each other through.

The album starts of with a bang as their best songs slam down the thrashy aggressive dance friendly riffs to get you pumped and fired up with an attitude, dropping the tightest grooves and catchy shouts the record has to offer, as it stretches on the intensity loosens and songs get shorted, never quite reaching the energy and momentum the record starts with. Its a decent record, but only in its best moments.

Favorite Songs: Set It Off, Lockdown, New York City, Down By Law

Rating: 5/10