EXCLUSIVE: Behind Closed Doors at Number 10 following Boris' resignation (You won't believe who turned up!)

 

Foreword; "PARTYGATE: The Sequel

The Clown in Command has resigned yet we're not fucking celebrating. Okay, maybe we're celebrating a little. The straw-haired charlatan is on the way out, inevitably to be replaced by another totem of Tory deception and Westminster shithousery, but for now let's raise a glass of piss in his name and do a little fucking two-step while we're at it.  

What’s next? An independent Scotland, for starters.

We still hate Thatcher. The Queen's a dick. SAOR ALBA"

"The Union Rag" is the lead single taken from the Scottish hardcore punk/powerviolence group Freedom Fist's debut full-length, coming out on Roman Numeral Records this fall.

 Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Dirt Church, "Self Titled LP"

By: Peter Morsellino
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 05/02/2021
Label: Independent

 
“Self Titled LP” DD track listing:
 
1). Cicada
2). Psalm 4
3). Husk
4). Days From Land
5). Sirens
6). Less Dead
7). Zephyr King
8). Teeth
9). Hours
 
The Review:
 
Three years after Dirt Church made their claim for sonic supremacy with the release of their 2018 demo, their long awaited Self Titled debut has been unleashed upon the world. A filthy amalgamation of low tuned sludge riffs and pounding hardcore fury, Dirt Church assails listeners with a brutal, yet toe tappingly catchy release that will be sure to please the most discerning of metal heads.
 
Conceived in the bowels of New York's rust belt, Albany's Dirt Church spawns a sound that while uniquely their own, encapsulates the region perfectly. Its dirty, its angry and it's not going to take any shit.  Atmospheric melodies swirl around their music like a fog pouring in, only just obscuring the massacre hidden within. 
 
Violent riffing gives way to mournful, dirge like passages throughout the release as Dirt Church press their rage on display, with a hard/soft dynamic often taking center stage. Vocals morph from pained cries and frenzied howls to feverish spoken word pieces,  adding extra dimensions to the album's storytelling. Despite this, the album is full of ear catching melodies, with songs like “Sirens” clinging to your brain and all but demanding repeated listening.
 
The mix of the album must be noted, as the sound remains crisp and clear despite the chaos contained within. Instrumentation shares real estate perfectly, with no particular sounds battling for space. Vocals maintain a prominent place in the cacophony yet never at the expense of the big picture.
 
Dirt Church presents listeners with a much needed sound with their debut full length. We're all sad, we're all angry. Dirt Church remains empathetic to this fact while granting an escape. It's good time sludge. You can hum it to yourself long after the album reaches its end.  Give this one a listen. I think you'll like it.
 
“Self Titled” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Body Count, "Carnivore"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 06/03/2020

Label: Century Media Records

“Carnivore” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Carnivore

2). Point The Finger

3). Bum-Rush

4). Ace of Spades

5). Another Level

6). Colors

7). No Remorse

8). When I’m Gone

9). Thee Critical Breakdown

10). The Hate Is Real

Tbe Review:

Body Count and Ice-T are back with another full length, 2017's “Bloodlust” was a good album, as was “Manslaughter” from a year or two before that. “Carnivore” continues the metal and hardcore hybrid with, of course, the street level vibe and attitude you'd expect from a man first known as a rapper and then an actor.

The title track is hard as nails, “Point The Finger” is a Hatebreed-esque blast of nastiness directed against the police- presumably of the US. The production is once again stellar. Thick guitars and bass, drums compressed and brutal through the triggers. “Bum-Rush” is a revved up hip hop track, rhythmically, with plenty of wailing leads and political lyrics- the kind of thing Ice-T excels at, pretty much.

For a man in his 60s to still be this angry makes me wonder just what Ice thinks about the current Coronavirus pandemic and the injustice of it. Maybe the next album will tell us? At track 4 is a real curve ball... a cover of “Ace of Spades”! If “Raining Blood” on “Bloodlust” was triumphant, well this is pretty much the same. It helps that it's one of the best songs ever written- any genre- and also that Ice has a connection with Lemmy and Motorhead having appeared on a version of “Born To Raise Hell” for the Airheads soundtrack. The themes are right up Ice's street, so it works. A respectful and successful homage.

Jamey Jasta pops up for “Another Level” in a solid and different guest vocal, while the track is moody and dark- not all righteous fury. Next up is the Ice-T classic “Colors”- given a 2020 makeover. Many metalheads of the 90s will recall the Machine Head cover of this track as a bonus on “The More Things Change”- which was a straight hip hop cover. This is a metallic version of the same song. It's a hip hop classic and, much like the “Ace of Spades”, it works in any setting as it's a strong song!

The atonal and chugging “No Remorse” follows and is a more lunkheaded take on wilful self-determination than, say, Suicidal Tendencies would come up with. It's a rare weaker track. Amy Lee pops up for “When I'm Gone” after a heartfelt intro from Ice about the origins of the song. For me, this is not the style I listen to Body Count for- the riffage is again dull and chugging. Fortunately, “Thee Critical Beatdown” is much more like it- old school Body Count and values in full effect. It's a banger and sounds exactly how you want it to. The late-album lull is thus ended.

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Timeworn, "Leave the Soul for Now"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 06/12/2020

Label: Loyal Blood Records

“Leave the Soul for Now” track listing:

1). Sky Castles

2). Count the Crosses

3). Oblivion Seekers

4). Hellwater

5). Paradise Crown

6). Visceral Reality

7). The Fallen King

8). Vagrant Heart

The Review:

Norway's Timeworn return with a banger of a third album. “Leave the Soul for Now” is the culmination of the five year journey that Timeworm has taken us on since their first effort.  This is an emotional, visceral work; leaving very little to be desired. Whatever your favorite albums of 2019 may have been, I hope you wrote your list in pencil, because this one will be squeezing its way in.

Timeworn's sound is an interesting blend of influences. Mixing the aggression of Trivium's earlier works with the melodies of modern In Flames, and the briefest of hints of their homeland's black metal heritage shining through at times. “Leave the Soul for Now” is an auditory delight, with a complex, layered, yet very easily accessible sound. Seriously, these guys should he getting play on every modern rock station the world over.

The standout for me is midpoint “Hellwater”. An out of nowhere Alice in Chains style romp. Complete with acoustic guitars, haunting vocal harmonies and a blazing solo to tie the bow together with some sludgy riffing sneaking its way in there just to keep you on your toes. This one will bury itself deep within you, and you'll be humming it for days to come. . It is truly an incredible specimen.

Vocals shine particularly on “Leave the Soul for Now”, delivering sharp barks, melodic singing, and moaning wails over the album's fifty five minutes plus.  Guitars crunch and grind the way they are supposed to, while singing and weeping when needed. The rhythm section is tight as can be, but not settling to service the songs alone.  Together all parts form a cohesive, aggressive while beautiful attack. The emotion conveyed by this band seeps into your soul. When it’s finished, prepare to need a second play pretty quick, because you will miss it desperately.

Timeworn deliver the goods here expertly. With an album full of surprises, the biggest one must be that I've never heard of these guys before.  This thing crushes. It should be everywhere. Spread the word. Scream it from the windows.

“Leave the Soul for Now” by Timeworn.  Don't forget it. You will hear it again. 

“Leave the Soul for Now” is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

REVIEW: Pijn & Conjurer, "Curse These Metal Hands"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full-length
Date Released: 16/08/19
Label: Holy Roar Records

”Curse These Metal Hands” CD//DD//LP tracklist:

1. High Spirits

2  The Pall

3. Endeavour

4. Sunday

The Review:

Pijn and Conjurer are both UK based, roughly categorizable as sludgy post-metal/hardcore bands. Both are on Holy Roar Records' roster and released impeccably strong albums last year, also making a collaboration appearance in ArcTanGent, one of the most momentous and meaningful festivals focusing on bands beyond the mainstream spectrum. The preparation and execution of said performance also planted the seed for a joint studio album titled "Curse These Metal Hands", released on August 16th, and with a release like this, the bands succeed to set a potent and firm example of how collaboration albums should sound. 

Like most of joint productions, this also looked fine on paper. After all, Conjurer's "Mire" and Pijn's "Loss" were amongst the most played albums in my household, as they were in so many others too. I've stated this somewhere else too, but when it comes to collaboration albums, they tend to be a hit or miss, with absolutely nothing in between. But with "Curse These Metal Hands", there wasn't a single reason to get cautious or worried about it. And there still isn't.

The pre-released track "High Spirits" opens up the album, and as the name suggests, it'll elevate your spirit right from the beginning. Slowly growing with clean guitars, tambourines and gentle drum hits, the song evolves in an uplifting manner, keeping a surprisingly positive vibe going throughout. After introducing strong dual vocals on top of a ridiculously heavy verse, the atmosphere tightens but the tone remains warm and wholehearted. 

Keeping in mind both bands' previous albums, this one differs from them greatly, which proves to make "Curse These Metal Hands" a justified, multiplex entirety with it's own narrative. The second song "The Pall" is mainly pulled together from similar realms, but instead shifts the gear into a bleaker direction. The second track also deploys more compositional dynamics, and there's parts where you can identify both bands' own sounds, but everything blends together seamlessly. I personally also really enjoy the writing on this one; albeit the track is almost nine minutes long, there's a ton of different riffs and sections, different tones and colours. It's so easy to build longer tracks over simpler and monotonous riffs that start to feel numbing really soon, and it's really refreshing that this album is bereft of the said approach.

The third track "Endeavour" is a mountain-movingly heavy, crushing two minute intermission. Vicious guitarwork and a constant triplet rhythm make the track stand on it's own, given it's still a smaller piece amidst the three gigantic tracks. What makes it shine through, is that while being in a minor position, "Endeavour" is not a futile transition song. This is often the case when an album is arranged like this, but that is yet another pitfall that the bands avoid very smoothly. "Sunday" closes the album with same emotion that the album started with. It's a consistent and uplifting epic, rejoicing in almost happy melodies, shifting through strong and soft passages until calling it a day for good. Structurally it's close to the other longer tracks, including a sense of closure and finality, utilizing tension in a very animate manner instead of being your run-of-the-mill "funeral procession"-like closing track.

Simply put, "Curse These Metal Hands" is an album that makes you feel good. It manages to create an almost transcendentally comforting and positive atmosphere without getting tacky at any point. That's also something a lot of people (me included) didn't expect from bands whose output tends to be from the more dismal and joyless end of the spectrum. "Curse These Metal Hands" doesn't redefine any genres or brave a new one, but it damn well exceeds in what it is set out to be; a perfect amalgamation of two different bands coming together.

"Curse These Metal Hands" is available HERE

Band info: Pijn || Conjurer

ALBUM REVIEW: Throes, "In the Hands of an Angry God"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 26/07/19

Label: Holy Roar Recordings,

Deathwish

”In the Hands of an Angry God” CD//DD//LP track list:

1. Bad Meat

2. They Never Spoke

3. Nothing New

4. Derelict

5. From Their Nails

6. Carrion

7. Disillusion

8. Ruin

9. Fang

The Review:

On their debut LP "In the Hands of an Angry God", Throes deliver a striking and relentless blend of hardcore, sludge and post-metal, suited to kick the air out of you and keep you pinned throughout its duration. Formed on the ruins of Bone Dance, Throes explore and expand themselves on a somewhat similar ground, but taking far bleaker and dimmer turns along the way.

I was captured and fascinated by the Boise quintet's first single cut "They Never Spoke" over a month ago, and was equally excited to get a chance to review the album a few weeks later. The aforementioned track was a colossal wall of angry noise, that held its ground against a ton of other releases dropping around the same timeframe. The pounding felt oddly familiar, and it was only afterwards that I learnt about the current group's  history. Now, by saying this new output feels familiar, I mean that it is adhesive and positively infectious, not that they'd be replicating or recycling their past sound. Usually, when a band reforms under a different moniker, the result is a bland playback with a pseudo-fresh approach, but that's not the case with Throes. At all.

The first track, "Bad Meat" clocks in less than three minutes, and together with the closing, one and a half minute grinder "Fang", they set clear frames and boundaries to what everything else in between will be. These two tracks are also the most pissed off and most reminiscent of Throes' now buried past. However, while these two tracks also leave quite memorable imprints, it's everything in between them that will address and highlight what this entrant is set out to be.

The standout portion on the album is the triad of "Derelict", "From Their Nails" and "Carrion". These tracks advance in a sludgy pace, bulldozing and flattening absolutely everything in their way. The mood is pushed to so violent territory that it will increase your heart rate and inflict the kind of terror that is not very prominent in this style overall. That is a shame really, but on the contrary it gives bands like Throes a well-deserved edge against the plethora of acts in their respective realm. The slowly seeping, low-gain guitars breathe in a lot of unforgettable, atmospheric nuances, and you'll notice this afterwards. Saying that the music is "catchy" sounds a bit weird, but in the lack of a better word, catchy it is.

To step aside from the strongpoints of this album, I also have something to whine about. While "In the Hands of an Angry God" excels in what it set out to do in being ridiculously heavy and demolishing piece of music, it is also a bit ponderous and unsurprising after the first half. I personally would've liked to hear more variation towards the end, aside from the last track which will pull the rug from under your feet. One factor that may affect this feeling, is that due to the tendency of getting monotonous, the album could've been a bit shorter. The exclusion of one track or few repeated riffs here and there would've made a drastic difference to the overall fluency. Still, these are just my thoughts. I can't point out any lesser tracks or riffs per se, as nothing on the album is exactly bad or not worth your while. Each track works well individually, but the entirety is a bit off. However, if you like getting your skull bashed in constantly and give absolutely zero shits about factors such as mutability and unpredictability, then this album is definitely meant for you.

All in all, it is not a surprise that Throes got themselves signed to Holy Roar Records, a label who has proved to be the one you should always keep your eye on for. "In the Hands of an Angry God" is a powerful debut, that lays down a firm ground for Throes' future endeavours. A great deal of "flaws" can be overlooked when the band is considered to be a newcomer, but is that justifiable when the members' past is taken into account? My scale tips to their benefit this time, it'll be intriguing to hear if and how they're going to ameliorate their newfound form in the future.

”In the Hands of an Angry God” is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Canadian heavyweights Cruickshank debut "Coma Blue"

Featuring a plethora of talent from the Canadian heavy music scene, Cruickshank’s eponymous debut seethes with a sludgy yet lean energy that speaks of many garage rehearsals to dial in this level of chemistry.  Every element, from the exploratory tone of the guitars to the turn-on-a-dime drum work, feels casual yet calculated. Some tendrils of sludge, doom, hardcore, and grindcore creep in, but the very notion of ‘genre’ plays second fiddle to such great musicianship.

The ultimate takeaway from Cruickshank is that this group have a phenomenal debut on their hands, spectacularly executed, and ready for fans of heavy, sludgy yet technical music to jump onboard. Today at THE SLUDGELORD were pleased to debut a new track “Coma Blue” which you can check out below.

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: This Gift Is A Curse, "A Throne of Ash"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/06/2019

Label: Season of Mist

”A Throne of Ash” will gnaw its way deep into your conscious and stay there as an unremovable tumour clamping your nerves, producing both pleasure and agony in unison.

”A Throne of Ash” CD//CS/DD//LP track listing:

1. Hæma

2. Blood Is My Harvest

3. Thresholds

4. Gate Dweller

5. Monuments for Dead Gods

6. Wolvking

7. I Am Katharsis

8. In Your Black Halo

9. Wormwood Star

The Review:

This Gift Is A Curse made themselves known to a wider audience with their Season of Mist debut ”All Hail the Swine Lord” in 2015, and now the Swedes return to finish (or rather continue) what they started with ”A Throne of Ash”. Stylistically deep-rooted in blackened hardcore and sludge, the Scandinavians prove they've been perfecting their dim crafts over recent years, and the result is a retributing, gargantuan and thumpingly heavy album that forces you to return to it again and again. 

Like the majority of all things, ”A Throne of Ash” is not for everyone, however that doesn't mean the album wouldn't be worth your while. The album’s atmosphere is violent and isolated. The eerie, occultist photographic artwork draws attention to it repeatedly, and the fact that the album was recorded in an abandoned house away from the public noise just adds to the intriguing aspect of it all. Tracks such as "Thresholds" and "Monuments For Dead Gods" make sure to deprive all light from your surroundings, while the burners like "I Am Katharsis" and "Wormwood Star" make you question the fact that was there any light to begin with.

What's particularly alluring, is that even though the mix is abrasive and chaotic to the point it makes your ears bleed, every single frequently planted hook still cuts through like the very sickle pictured in the artwork. The raw and hurting ethos is constant, from the first distorted drum hits on the moodsetting intro track "Hæma" to the very last ritualistic ambience of the final track. Considering the album as a whole, it starts and ends to extremes, and is nothing but that in between. While I personally enjoy the silence most when an album ends, it can be deliberated if ”A Throne of Ash” should have some quiet waters here and there, instead of the constant rough flow that now lasts throughout its duration. After all, it goes on for a good 45 minutes, which can be a very long time for someone inclined for more compositionally dynamic variation. But on the other end of the scale, if you're looking to get beaten and pulverised without a single allusion of remorse, this is meant for you.

This Gift Is A Curse is here to leave a mark. They won't inflict similiar, mendable fleshwounds as a lot of the artists on these genres do; Instead, they'll gnaw their way deep into your conscious and stay there as an unremovable tumour clamping your nerves, producing both pleasure and agony in unison. ”A Throne of Ash" is a tremendous record, that paves the way for the band to become a more haunting, household name. Again, the album is not for everyone, but those who find themselves listening to it over and over again, will be purged from the grip of every day humanity.

”A Throne of Ash” is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Full of Hell, "Weeping Choir"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/05/2019

Label: Relapse Records

”Weeping Choir” CD//DD//CS//LP track listing:

1. Burning Myrrh

2. Haunted Arches

3. Thundering Hammer

4. Rainbow Coil

5. Aria of Jeweled Tears

6. Downward

7. Armory of Obsidian Glass

8. Silmaril

9. Angels Gather Here

10.Ygramul the Many

11. Cellar of Doors

The Review:

The US noisy grindcore envoys Full of Hell are back with a blast, releasing their fourth full-length (excluding their collabs with The Body) ”Weeping Choir” on May 14th, and the first under Relapse Records. It's been two years since their previous two albums, ”Trumpeting Ecstacy” and ”Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light”, their second album with the aforementioned experimental noise duo. The band's been highly prolific throughout their ten year career, and ”Weeping Choir” sounds like a band on their apex form.

Over time, Full of Hell's sound has evolved from more straightforward, hardcore impulsed grindcore into more noisy, more death metal influenced amalgamation of styles, and the evolution has been nothing but natural. You can also hear how the band has shaped and mastered their own territory, from where they can shoot to any direction without losing themselves or their fans in the process, conveniently always keeping their core exposed. You'll also find numerous confluences between their releases, tying it all ever so elegantly together without coming across as repetitive or harping.

”Weeping Choir”, as addressed by the band, is the direct continuation and mirror image of 'Trumpeting Ecstasy'. The idea is imminent since the songs share the same topics and dictums, the artworks are sort of inversions of each other and so on. The 25 minute LP ignites with "Burning Myrrh". With zero bullshit, the song eviscerates everything on it's way, churning unforgivingly for one and a half minutes before collapsing into a doomy outro glazed with haunting clean tones toward the end, fittingly proceeding straight into the second song titled "Haunted Arches". This and the following track "Thundering Hammers" continue to pillage and ravage in customary manner, giving the album one hell of a start. The next turn is slightly unexpected; "Rainbow Coil" is a longer instrumental build-up consisting of only noise and samples. 

Personally, I'm delighted that the band can pull of such an abrupt move so early on without losing the momentum at all. At this point you'll also pay attention to the production of the album. Produced/recorded by Kurt Ballou of Converge and mastered by Brad Boatright like the previous album, the overall sound is punishing but clear, keeping the grindcore identity and integrity without sacrificing itself upon the altar of messy and downright unpleasant execution.

"Aria of Jeweled Tears" picks up the pace and appears as the strongest track so far, followed up "Downward", a piece more reminiscent of the times of ”Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home” and ”Rudiments of Mutilation”. At this point I might add, and people who like this sort of music will know what I mean, it might be hard to pick up any certain riffs or reasons to why certain tracks come across stronger than others. It's a matter of feeling and flow rather than the individual moments, which there are still many that can be clearly pointed out if necessary. A lot of these moments are sprinkled across "Armory of Obsidian Glass", the Lingua Ignota featuring gloomy and putrid magnificent oeuvre clocking nearly seven minutes, acts as a cornerstone placed precisely where it needs to be. The tracks swirls and sways between pummeling and redeeming, managing to capture a wide range of compositional dynamics and feelings to a single song. Lingua Ignota's feat is also spot on, guaranteed to give kicks to fans of either and both. Towards the end, the song introduces a new, blatantly and facetiously put, emotional side to the bands output, again proving Full of Hell to be a perennial shape shifter.

The remaining four tracks serve some of the highlights of their discography; "Silmaril" offers unexpected tempo changes and a vocal section resembling more of a moving clog in a sewer than a human. "Angels Gather Here" sounds like it could be in one of the collaboration albums with The Body, showing that Full of Hell are more than capable to rejoice in that kind of noise by themselves too. "Ygramul the Many" slaps in a saxophone solo, relating to the closer track in the Merzbow collab. "Cellar of Doors" conjures some pretty disgusting demons before offering the album an appropriate, sudden end.

Without turning this to anymore of a novel, ”Weeping Choir” is currently Full of Hell's grand work. It falls perfectly in line with all of their other releases, and continues their upward crawl back to God. What they do when they get there is unknown, but something to look forward to.

”Weeping Choir” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Erosion, "Maximum Suffering"

 By: Elliot Paisley


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 19/10/2018

Label: Hydra Head Records

 

“Maximum Suffering” is a blistering portrayal of tunnel vision brutality and is far more hateful and savage than you could have ever assumed

 

“Maximum Suffering” DD//LP track listing:

1) Maximum Suffering
2) Everything Is Fucked
3) Need For Death
4) Human Error
5) Serpent Lust
6) The Crone
7) Deep In Hell
8) We Have Failed Us
9) Scorched Earth
10) Black Waves
11) Storm Of Steel
12) Dusted
13) Consumed

The Review:

In 2012, it was reported that Hydra Head would be closing their doors. Founded in 1993 by Aaron Turner, who would eventually go on to form Isis (or Celestial, for all intents and purposes), the label would be home to such heavyweights as Cave In, Xasthur, Jesu and Botch. It was a stamp of approval you could trust; they scarcely put out anything which was less than tremendous, and they provided a haven for those who had fallen out of love with the major-label metal being pedalled at the time – Limp Bizkit were topping the charts and Xasthur was a glorious antidote.

When news spread of the label’s closure in 2012, it was a day of mourning for all fans of underground metal. However, it would eventually prove to have been a slight exaggeration. Turner announced that the label would continue to release and reissue their past releases, and eventually it was decided they would continue to release music on a case-by-case basis. While not quite what we had all hoped for, it was a compromise we could accept.

In this case, the band is Erosion. A ‘supergroup’ of sorts, formed by 3 members of Vancouver’s favourite unsung crusty-hardcore heroes Baptists, with vocals provided by Jamie Hooper, perhaps most famous for at one time providing the harsh-vocals in the sadly-defunct heavy metal revivalists 3 Inches of Blood. On paper, this is a peculiar and curious combination – Baptists are famed for their unforgiving meld of d-beat, crust and hardcore with a black metal bleaching, whereas 3 Inches Of Blood were a triumphant tribute to old-school heavy metal, unflinching in their willingness to recreate the tropes which many mock the genre for adopting.. One would be forgiven for assuming “Maximum Suffering” could limp out of the speakers as a crude mess which lacks emulsion.

The resulting album, however, is a blistering portrayal of tunnel vision brutality and is far more hateful and savage than you could have ever assumed. One glimpse at the track-list and one is confronted with a mission statement: “Everything Is Fucked”, “Need For Death”, “Human Error”, “Deep In Hell”, “We Have Failed Us”. It is abundantly clear what the socio-political outlook of this band is, and they remain unapologetic of this stance throughout the 13 tracks.

Musically, the album is more than simply an amalgam of 3 Inches of Blood and Baptists. A wretched combination of Trap Them, Entombed, Brutal Truth, Darkthrone and Infest, the sheer sound of what they produce is totally arresting. The performances on this album are all superb, with Hooper’s vocals finally able to tear in the way they threatened to while in 3 Inches of Blood, now more untamed than ever before. In his old-band, he was sharing vocal duties with Cam Pipes, whose Halford-esque wail providing a startling offset to Hooper’s shriek. Here, he is the sole vocalist, and the pressure is on to capture the audience’s attention and man the mission solo,  and it is a joy to announce he has more than stepped up to the plate and given what is perhaps the most accomplished performance of his career.

 The band is on similarity savage form, with the apocalyptic rhythm section underpinning the chaotic guitar-work. The production accents the attack, the songs aren’t written with a gentle touch, nor are they strokes of genius, but when performed with such conviction, this hardly matters at all.

The only shame of this album is timing, and that’s hardly the band’s fault. 2018, as a year, has proven the most difficult time for hardcore bands, solely due to competition and the ensuing struggle to stand out. Code Orange have popularized the genre and achieved Grammy nods by incorporating elements of IDM, industrial music and 90s alternative metal like that of Type O Negative and Pantera.

Turnstile have become the hottest commodity in the scene with their absolutely astounding sophomore effort “Time & Space”, a joyous amalgam of Trapped Under Ice, Metallica, Helmet and Jane’s Addiction. Outfits such as Employed To Serve, Palm Reader, Jesus Piece and Harm’s Way have all released diverse and critically-acclaimed albums in the last two years and so for many people, the no-frills hardcore presented on “Maximum Suffering” may fall short of the mark. 

Those people are doing themselves a disservice, as this album is one of the finest examples of pure blistering hardcore to be released in some time. By no means are Erosion reinventing the wheel, they are instead fashioning it into a buzz-saw.

If Hydra Head are going to continue being highly selective in their releases, fans are only going to remain loyal to the label if the quality is maintained. With “Maximum Suffering”, it is clear that Turner maintains his keen ear for outstanding, uncompromising music and Erosion ought to be very proud of what they have accomplished here.

“Maximum Suffering” is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp