Turnstile- Step 2 Rhythm EP (2013)

It’s no great secret that I’m pretty dismissive of all things ‘hardstyle’- a recent trend in hardcore which can best be described as bands which ape the ‘90s New York Hardcore sound, placing a particular emphasis on the heavy hip hop influenced elements within it. I just find it to be pretty fucking generic and nothing that earlier NYHC bands haven’t done already or more recently, Trapped Under Ice (probably the only band with that sound which elicits repeated listening by me). For that reason Baltimore’s Turnstile, who I regarded as simply a Trapped Under Ice side-project, have never done much to make me follow up on the odd song I’ve heard by them. After seeing the hype this EP has been getting on the internet I thought I’d give them another try however and with Step 2 Rhythm I find myself saying something I didn’t think I would about an album by this band- it’s actually quite good and I want to listen to it repeatedly.

Turnstile have done something which very few heavy hardcore bands are doing this day but is sorely needed and that’s experimenting. While their sound is obviously indebted to the NYHC/hip hop/Metallica hybrid which is all the rage at the moment they are expanding on this by exploring new territory. The guitars for instant, rather than simply churning out by-the-book heavy riffs, place an equal emphasis on atmospherics, breaking down into spacey arpeggiated licks which help to counterbalance the crowd moving moments and give them a greater impact. The guitar work is at its best right from the start with the first track, “7” with its ethereal guitar lead. The playing brings to mind obvious comparisons with legendary NYHC bands like Burn and Crown of Thornz however rather than being derivative of these bands they take their best qualities and give it a modern edge.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatbassguykris/8088107644/in/photostream

Vocalist Brendan Yates also shows a willingness to try new things, making use of reverb heavy clean vocals and harmonies which creates a hypnotic effect especially when coupled with his bitter, personal-issue themed lyrics, musing on the album opener “Are you gonna lead me the wrong way? Take me out again? I’m not your decision, get me outta here.” He intersperses these within his trademark yelp which plays with the rhythms of the songs in a style which recalls Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine, especially when he borrows la Rocha’s tendency to punctuate songs with his classic “Oh!” exclamation. This is especially apparent in the song which opens up Side B of the release, “Better Way,” without a doubt one of the highlights of the EP and a testament to the ease Yates has in wielding these diverse dynamics. While all of these elements are hardly game-changers and have been seen to some degree in previous hardcore bands throughout the years it’s still refreshing to see a band which wants to push the contemporary mould.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this album is an instant modern classic and it still has its moments where the pit-pleasing mosh moments get repetitive such as songs like “Canned Heat” and “Pushing Me Away” which make the second half of Side A the week point of the record. However, it’s a step in the right direction and makes me all the more excited to anticipate there putting out something even better in the future. 7 thumbs up.

 

Nails- Abandon All Life (2013)

At a time when contemporaries of theirs like Black Breath and Coliseum have gone for a more groove-laden, riff oriented approach, California’s Nails have continued to crank the speed and distortion levels up (when they were already sitting at 11 to begin with.) Nails have refined their bastard crust/grind/hardcore/doom sound into something which can only be described as the musical equivalent of the world shitting itself and in doing so, created an album which will have many an extreme music fan’s tongue wagging this year.

Abandon All Life wastes no times with lengthy intros, opening the album with a split second’s worth of feedback before tearing into the aural assault of ‘In Exodus.’ This album is all about cutting to the chase and cutting the shit, clocking in at a concise 17 minutes which is most definitely a good thing. Anything further would be mind-decimating to be frank. The album very rarely relents in its hellish energy and songs like “Tyrant” and “Cry Wolf” would make you think that anything below 250 BPM is anathema for the band. This is not the case however as songs like “Wide Open Wound” show the band is more than adept at slowing things down and employing crushing doom metal sections in what is probably the highlight of the whole album. The album closes with “Suum Cuique” which seems to represent the schizophrenic nature of the band’s sound, moving seamlessly from sludgy riffs to Slayer-esque thrash freakouts and in turn highlighting the amazing level of musicianship the band has.

The production on the album typifies the thick, wall-of-sound style which is producer Kurt Ballou’s trademark, however where as Unsilent Death was more sparse and large sounding, Abandon goes for a claustrophobic approach which makes it sound like it was recorded in Josef Fritzl’s basement. Vocalist Todd Jones voice seems to be matching their (even more) caustic approach on this album, trading his rough howl on Unsilent for a muffled, high-pitched scream, which makes it easy to see why the band is often compared to Amphetamine Reptile bands, sounding like Steve Austin being exorcised. Already acknowledging the influence of such bands in the past, it seems on this album they are exploring this territory even further, displaying some overt noise-rock overtones. These are probably best epitomised by the title-track song, “Abandon All Life” and the dissonant sweep harmonics which cut through the latter part of the song. These flourishes are a large factor in why I think Abandon is slightly superior to its predecessor.

From start to finish this album is one which bludgeons the listener with cathartic noise which while alternating with tempos, doesn’t alternate the feelings of despair and cynicism which seethe through the music with anything even remotely positive. And that’s why this album positively fucking rules. Sure to be one to top end-of-year lists even as 2013 has barely hit a quarter of the way through, this album sees the band going from strength to strength with ease. Eight thumbs up.

World War Four- Demo (2012)

With only a demo out and a handful of shows played, this band from Boston has built up a lot of hype in a short time. Featuring members of notable bands like Floorpunch and No Tolerance this is hardly a surprise however and the quality of this demo shows they are more than worthy of the attention they’re getting. Dropped during last year, it’s a slab of classic, old-school sounding hardcore punk which brings to mind Warzone, Outburst and Breakdown. There’s a definite late ‘80s/early ‘90s NYHC vibe to their sound as well as smatterings of ‘80’s thrash metal influence which is obvious with their liberal use of guitar dive-bombs (always a good thing in my books).

Photo: Carl Greenhouse

The demo opens with the groovy “Intro” which sets the template for most of the other songs- blisteringly fast sections interspersed with the plodding stomp that Boston bands always seem to do so well. The vocals are standard hardcore fare, mirroring the rhythm of the songs in an East Coast holler which deals with typical hardcore lyrical subjects of betrayal and wanting to give cunts the bash. While it’s nothing new and the songs all follow a similar path, it’s relieving to hear a band playing hardcore the way it should be amid the current gluttony of shit metalcore and generic “hardstyle” bands. This band are at their strongest on the faster tracks “Can’t Take It” and “Crossed Path” which is a big drawcard when every band these days is cranking out predictable mid-tempo grooves. Definitely worth repeated listens and keep an eye on them for future releases which hopefully will be even better than this impressive first effort. Divebombs/10.

Intro Bust

Thought it was about time I got my shit together and started up a music blog and within it will be general rantings, ravings, reviews, interviews and whatever else I damn well want to talk about (Pretty much everything you’d encounter if you were unfortunate enough to strike up a conversation with me on a Friday night after too many bourbons- ha!). Hopefully I’ll stave off procrastination and keep it updated pretty regularly so be sure to check on it as such and send me abuse if I don’t stay on top of it. Will mostly be focused on hardcore, punk and metal music, but good music is good music and I won’t be discriminating when giving any artist credit when they deserve it. Peace.