This is a split between UK hardcore bands Sense Offender and Nil.
Sense Offender start us off, with 8 minutes of material. The band play a form of jagged chaotic hardcore that is belligerent and lethal.
The songs are merciless beasts that twist and turn with malignant glee. Prayer Sheet has a truly menacing bass-led groove that is backed up by nightmarish sounds, before pulsating with grim intensity while spitting foul venom. There’s even a darkly atmospheric part of the song that ends it in prime doomy fashion.
Skin Your Teeth is a nasty slab of atypical rhythms and d-beat energy. The vocals are even more ferocious on this track, and the singer sounds barely human in places. Once again there’s an unexpected atmospheric component to the music which works really well when it appears.
Sense Offender have put together a solid couple of tracks here.
Nil offer a 6-minute harsh mathcore experience that crushes with angular heaviness and dissonant aggression.
The War Inside reminds me primarily of Norma Jean’s pulverising first album, mixed with something like Coalesce. It hits the spot nicely, and then proceeds to utterly destroy it.
The Falling Man introduces a bit of melody into the band’s sound. The song reveals itself to be somewhat of a hybrid between the mathcore brutality of the first track and a groovy sludge rock song. These two aspects spend three and a half minutes warring for dominance. At the end of it there’s no clear winner, but that’s to the benefit of the song, and I like what Nil have come up with here. It reminds me of a cross between 90’s UK hardcore act Dbh and Red Fang.
Nil’s sound has intrigued me, especially on their second track, and I like what they’ve done with the style.
This is a quality split that showcases two up and coming UK bands very effectively. I look forward to hearing more from both in the future.
Highly recommended for fans of the underground.
Wonderbox Metal 