Greetings one and all and welcome back to Flash of the Blade! Don’t remember what this column is about? Luckily, it’s easy to remind you: this column is about short releases that go hard. Also, swearing. Which genres are included? Fuck genres. If it goes hard and if it goes fast and if it doesn’t waste any time doing either of that, it can end up here. OK? OK. Let’s fucking get to it.
Sword
Under Old Trees – Kelo (a dream that’s 26:26 long). Contrary to popular belief, post-rock can go hard. Example: Under Old Trees and their release from two months ago, Kelo. This album is all groove, no filler. The drums hit hard, the bass is super fucking loud and the momentum is always forward, always the next thing, always the next unfolding of the band’s sound. If that’s not worthy of this column then I don’t know what is.
Daggers
Xythlia – Immortality Through Quantum Suicide (23:08 of interstellar madness). From the project’s Bandcamp: “BLACK LIVES MATTER. NO TERFs ON OUR TURF. NAZI PUNKS FUCK OFF.” Fuck yes. Add that the music is like a cross between thrash metal, Car Bomb-esque mechanical insanity, and the cold void between the stars and yeah, this is a no-brainer.
Vale of Pnath – Accursed (pure aggression in 27:35). Man, talk about an underrated release. These guys decided to channel a bunch of black metal into their tech-death formula on this release and it paid a million dividends. One of the more massive short albums I can think of.
TRVSS – New Distances (all the noise you can handle in 27:57). Obviously punk and noise rock are going to play a big role in this column. This album absolutely owns, waiting zero time before pummeling you with a massive main riff and antagonizing/antagonized vocals. Get mad.
The Faceless – Planetary Duality (a classic just 31:42 long). I think I’m going to save the last entry of these columns for classics. And it doesn’t get more classic than this. You don’t really need me to sell this album. Just a reminder that it owns.