Hardcore – Page 18 – Wonderbox Metal

Grieved – Grieved (Review)

Grieved are a Swedish Hardcore band and this is their début album.

Grieved play dark Hardcore with plenty of venom and bite. This is a grim, nightmare vision of Punk and Metal, where destruction is commonplace and fear is everywhere.

Riffs are darkly emotive in a downbeat style and the songs take the positive energy of Hardcore and turn it in on itself, cannibalising and tearing at itself so that only the energy remains, inverted and corrupted. It is still a vibrant energy though, and these songs bristle with life and dark potency.

The singer screams out his words sounding like shattered glass given voice. His delivery is consistently engaging and has enough charisma and character despite essentially just shouting through these 29 minutes.

Across these songs the band show themselves to be adept at songwriting. These tracks are well-thought-out and have an emotive energy to them that’s undeniable. This is brought to the fore by the guitars and their interplay with the vocals, both of which are very satisfying in their own right.

There’s very little speed or urgency on this, it’s pretty much mainly mid-to-slow paced, revelling in its broodiness and building intent. When faster parts do appear, it’s like a coiled serpent has suddenly decided to strike.

I have really enjoyed this. I like that it focuses on songs and structure to deliver its negativity rather than overly relying on pure brutality or rage; this is more Born from Pain or Throwdown than Converge, although the positive message is entirely missing.

Highly recommended.

Prolefeed/War All the Time – Split (Review)

This is a split between two UK Grind/Hardcore bands.

Prolefeed start us off with 15 tracks of pissed-off Hardcore, tearing it up straight away with fast beats and a razor-sharp guitar sound.

Even though the songs are all short, sometimes they do slow the pace down and give vent to their groovier side. Apart from this, it’s all Hardcore-fury as the band play fast enough to vent their rage but rarely enter blast beat territory.

The riffs are full of confident swagger and attitude, embracing their heritage and really going for the throat.

The vocals are high shouts, angry and harsh, just as we like it.

It’s a more Hardcore/Punk take on the style as beloved of Extreme Noise Terror and early Cripple Bastards, mixed with an Old-School influence à la Minor Threat and the like.

After this we have War All the Time, who contribute the final 11 tracks to this violent split.

War All the Time have an uglier, fuzzier, filthier production than Prolefeed’s sharpness, and benefit from a rounder sound in this regard.

Other than that there are a lot of similarities between the bands; short songs, (although on average slightly longer for War All the Time), Punk fury, swagger, attitude, fast but-not-blast-beats, etc.

The singer has a deeper shout than that of Prolefeed; a throaty snarl shouting belligerently across the tracks.

Like their partners on this split, it’s an enjoyable listen. On balance, I think I prefer Prolefeed’s contribution though as there’s a little more variety in attack, but both sides hit the spot for a bit of grinding angry Hardcore violence.

Have a listen.

The Rodeo Idiot Engine – Malaise (Review)

The Rodeo Idiot Engine are a Hardcore band from France. This is their third album.

After enjoying their previous work this is an album which was gratefully received and devoured hungrily.

This is a band that excel at fusing chaotic Hardcore’s violence with Post-Hardcore’s intricacies and Screamo’s passion. The atypical rhythms, nasty semi-melodies and absolutely caustic vocals are an aural treat for any fan of extremity.

I love this kind of modern, violent Hardcore and there are a lot of bands that do it well, with the king of the genre being the mighty Converge, of course. The challenge for any band playing in this sub-genre then, for me, is to do it in such a way that stays true to the foundations of the style while avoiding sounding like a Converge-clone, which is easier said than done.

Suffice to say, The Rodeo Idiot Engine avoid this easily, (otherwise I wouldn’t be having this discussion), and the music on Malaise is both of-the-genre and very much their own at the same time. Exploding out of the speakers with pure fury and venom, this is an album that is resolutely its own beast.

At 38 minutes in length with 9 tracks, this shows the band’s evolution to, (on average), longer songs and more-involved displays of songwriting. They still absolutely rip, tear and burn through the playing time with ease, but they now do it with greater complexity, inventiveness and moments of deeper reflection and introspection.

I’d also say that Malaise is darker than their previous work. Not that they were ever shining beacons of sunlight, mind. Full of emotive intensity and compelling rage, this is an album worth repeated visits.

So, three albums in and The Rodeo Idiot Engine have produced their best work yet.

Nice one guys!

Rash Decision – Headstrung (Review)

Rash Decision are from the UK and play Crossover Thrash/Hardcore.

Picking up from where Seaside Resort to Violence left off, Headstrung features 17 minutes of up-tempo violence.

The songs are short, simple and take a hearty chomp out of the musical landscape. This is a band who aren’t concerned with the subtleties of things and just want to Thrash it out with short songs and immediate impact.

Shouted vocals with a Hardcore tilt to them are well-performed and his voice is nicely hoarse.

The band have a good energy to them and sound like they’d be really good live. On their last release I liked the inclusion of Thrash influences without a stupid retro/ironic-vibe and this remains true of Headstrung – these tracks know when to be Hardcore and know when to be Metal and pay due respect to both genres.

It’s brief, but satisfying. Check it out.

https://rashdecision.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/rashdecision/

Attan – From Nothing (Review)

Attan are from Norway and play Hardcore/Post-Hardcore. This is their début EP.

Coming across as an unholy mix of bands like Vision of Disorder, Will Haven, Converge and Neurosis, Attan are heavy and intense.

This music is dark and visceral, containing a primal rage and destructive intensity. The songs are passionate exemplars of heaviosity that pay tribute to their influences while making their own way down the ill-lit avenues of dark Hardcore; Continue reading “Attan – From Nothing (Review)”

Chronoboros – Dialing up the Cutter (Review)

Chronoboros are from Greece and play Sludge-fuelled Hardcore. This is their début EP.

Chronoboros play a mix of Sludge/Hardcore that shares some features of Alternative Metal and Noise Rock in its sideways approach. It reminds me of the early-to-mid-90s style in some ways, albeit with a modern delivery and a distinct personality all of its own.

Combining elements of bands such as Fudge Tunnel, Association Area, Kowloon Walled City, No Anchor, Helmet, The Dillinger Escape Plan and a plethora of others, this is an interesting and enjoyable release that shows that a band can be inventive while still having the capacity to rock out hard.

The music is complex and involved. It has a lot of depth and layers to it meaning that although these songs are quite short they make a good impression. Heavy sections compete for space with less-conventional parts and there’s a lot of good ideas on this EP that are barely explored before the band hop off once again on another exploratory trip into their unusual world.

The vocals combine harsher screams with more unusual semi-spoken vocalisations. It works a treat and is thankfully the right side of quirky.

There’s a lot of talent and promise on this release. It’s only 15 minutes long, so what excuse do you have for not checking it out?

That’s what I thought.

Vision of Disorder – Razed to the Ground (Review)

Vision of Disorder are a US Hardcore band. This is their sixth album.

Hardcore veterans Vision of Disorder return and from the off it’s riffs, riffs and more riffs as the singer snarls and the production crushes. I’ve been a huge fan of this band ever since their amazing Imprint album came out way back 1998. They’ve had some ups and downs over the years, but they’ve always delivered the goods in one form or another.

Razed to the Ground is what Vision of Disorder do best – a condensed explosion of violence and melody. These songs allow the listener to get wrapped up in pummelling grooves, high-energy riffs and a performance so pumped up it will tear your face off before it even realises what it’s done.

Ostensibly a band like Vision of Disorder should be a run-of-the-mill Metalcore band with no distinguishing features to set them apart from hordes of similar bands, except for their higher profile and length of service. In reality though, the atypical riffs, interesting melodies, Hardcore ferocity and pure passion that the band exude mean that they are very much greater than the sum of their parts.

These songs have catchines and hooks in spades. As well as all of the obvious, high-impact immediate stuff here, there’s also a deeper subtlety and nuance displayed on some of the tracks that merely adds to the album’s longevity.

I’ve always loved the singer’s voice. His screaming snarls sound like anger personified when he really lets rip, and his cleans always have a certain edge to them that made them stand out from most of the more commercial/weak sounding cleans used by a lot of their peers. He’s on top form again on this release and it seems he will never run out of steam. Here’s hoping.

This is a strong new album from these Hardcore stalwarts.

Highly recommended.

Moloken – All Is Left to See (Review)

This is the third album from Swedish Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Hardcore band Moloken.

This is Cult of Luna/Isis-inspired Post-Metal that has been combined with Converge-style Post-Hardcore to create individualistic songs that are sharp, nasty and boiling with heated darkness.

Caustic, throat-shredding screamed vocals provide a brutally simple focal point to the apocalyptic music. The band are here to sow darkness and reap pain. Their music is a dense, claustrophobic affair, ripe with urban decay and full of disturbed interest for the observer to become upset by.

Varied and nuanced, there are a lot of good ideas on display throughout these 29 minutes and Moloken make the most of the relatively short playing time by filling the album with bleak sounds that captivate and enthral.

Equal parts Sludge, Hardcore and dark atmosphere, All Is Left to See is enjoyable and recommended.

Lambs – Betrayed from Birth (Review)

Lambs are an Italian blackened Hardcore band and this is their début EP.

You gotta love Blackened Hardcore. A sub-genre that takes the best of the violence and darkness from Hardcore and Black Metal? Yes please! This style is getting more and more popular and has already resulted in a plethora of good bands such as Hexis, Plebeian Grandstand, Dark Circles, Ancst, Cowards, Funerals, Protestant and Flesh Born, to name just a few. Some bands go slightly more one way or the other, while others, like Lambs, meet both genres in the middle. That, and a bit of Post-Hardcore thrown in for good measure.

This is a quality little release that showcases what Lambs are capable of, and it seems that they should have big things ahead of them if they can keep this level of quality control and intensity up for a full album. Well, big things for a small sub-genre at any rate.

The aforementioned intensity doesn’t mean it’s a Blackened blast fest, (although they can blast when they need to); Lambs have a darkly emotive and fanged assault that never lets up regardless of the speed they play at. In this way they can be compared to any number of modern violent Hardcore bands, as they keep on pushing and pushing with the relentless riffs, to make sure their point is rammed home; be this by straight forward assaults, dirge-fuelled slower sections or angular, atypical melodies. Lambs cover all of the bases.

There’s only three songs here but contained within them is a lot of dark intent and malevolent ambition. As calling cards go this is up there with the best of the style and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Play at full volume.

Fredag Den 13:e – Domedager (Review)

Fredag Den 13:e are from Sweden and this is their third album. They play Hardcore.

This is aggressive music that’s fuelled by Crust and and d-beat Hardcore. If you like bands such as Skitsystem, Disfear and Martyrdöd then you’re in for a treat here.

Fredag Den 13:e have plenty of groove and rhythm to their sound and a strong recording brings out the best of them. Everything is solid and immediate, which is the kind of impact a band of this type requires.

The songs are catchy and emotive, which is a lethal combination. There are great riffs in abundance and the band have a large amount of energy that they siphon into the songs. A lot of the guitars feature aggressive melodies that sound quite apocalyptic, so much so that Domedager could almost be the soundtrack to the end times after civilisation has fallen.

The singer has a scathing voice and he screams his way through these 36 minutes like a focused ball of rage that nonetheless manages to convey emotion and charisma alongside the vicious diatribes.

One of the things I love about this release is that the songs have this relentless energy that drives them forward. Add to that the emotive, dynamic riffs and songwriting…well, we have a winner here for sure.

This is not a band I was aware of prior to writing this review, but it turns out they could be one of Sweden’s best kept secrets. It’s time to change that – listen to Fredag Den 13:e and get ready to be impressed.