April delivered a bit of everything for our seasoned Rotten to the Core readers. Among stuff we didn't cover here, you've got all kinds of metalcore, including a solid new entry into the deftonesy-alt-nu-metalcore world from Thornhill, and Bleed From Within bringing the groove. Also some great mathcore with a comeback from Heavy Heavy Low Low, and powerful screamo-adjacent entries from Emma Goldman and Life. But as always we covered what most stood out to us and demanded our attention, and this month that happened to include a lot of noise rock.
Enjoy, be back soon.
The Wall of Death
Blue Youth - Defeatist (noise rock)
In case you haven’t heard, the Noise Rock Renaissance™ has been upon us for some time. Multitudes of bands are breathing new life into the decades-old bastard son of industrial, punk, and experimental rock. Not to be outdone during this noise rock resurgence, the Saskatchewanians in Blue Youth have released their first new album in five years. If you haven’t been listening to what modern noise rock has to offer, Defeatist is proof that you have been missing out.
What sets Blue Youth apart from many of their peers is their relatively stripped-down approach to the genre that leaves space for surprisingly catchy hooks. Much noise rock is so ingrained with layers of atonal abrasiveness that it doesn’t afford room for melodic phrasing, instrumentally or vocally. But Blue Youth imbues their style of noise rock with some real earworms. While “Modern Lover” begins simply enough with a guitar that alternates between two dissonant intervals and drums and bass that perform a straightforward rhythm in lockstep, the song eventually builds up to an explosively tuneful chorus. The refrain that vocalist/guitarist Gage McGuire sings is simple enough, but the melodicism with which he delivers it could be appropriate for a pop song in a different musical context. “Patient Patient” comes straight out of the gate sounding like a lost At The Drive-In track. Even with it being one of the more rhythmically complex and dramatically shifting tracks on the album, the band sneaks in an impressively catchy chorus that doesn’t sound out of place in the slightest.
This is not to say that Defeatist is some immediately accessible pop noise rock album (is there even such a thing?). There is more than enough tonal confrontation for any noise rock fan to appreciate. Opener “Defeatist” begins with a jagged start-and-stop rhythm and atonal guitar bends accompanied by bit-crushed background noise. “Two Faces” is an especially raucous, in-your-face track that gives very little of the aforementioned space for melodic flair. Yet, what is most striking about Defeatist is the extent that Blue Youth effortlessly integrates fluent flashes of melodicism among their noisy maelstrom.
With all the noise rock released over the last several years, it can be difficult to sift through releases to find those of a truly exceptional caliber. Defeatist is surely among them, and you would do well to experience the band’s refreshing take on the genre.
-JD
EYES - Spinner (metalcore, mathcore)
There’s a dedicated review for this album out this week from one of our new writers, but Spinner is just too good to not spotlight on RTTC as well, as it has evidently captured the attention of most of our staff, and increasingly much of the metal and hardcore world. And rightfully so, EYES are a band who have steadily been making a name for themselves across four full-lengths since their self-titled debut back in 2018. If Congratulations (2023) was their coming out party which helped them get signed to Prosthetic, this feels like the album that should cement them as one of the best active metalcore bands in the scene.
A big part of its success, and relatively broad appeal across the spectrum of -core fans lies in how effortlessly it seems to span both decades and sub-scenes within metalcore’s evolution. The biggest touchpoint for many will probably be to the now departed Every Time I Die, and yes I know we got two solid new bands out of that, but hey you can jam this without feeling some of that painful lingering audio-uncanny-valley that those bands might give. Spinner also harkens back to the earlier ETID days (Hot Damn! etc.) when they were a little more carefree and rough around the edges (complimentary). EYES take the upbeat twangy fun of that sound, and fuses it with a mix of the heavier sludginess of the metallic hardcore of bands like Converge, and some of the anxious dissonance of noise rock. Vocalist Victor Kaas also adds a bit of vile nastiness with his impeccable range that sways into black metal territory. If you recognize that name, EYES are a part of what I like to call the Danish/Coopenhagen extended heavy music-universe. We’ve seen a few scenes that share several similar members, but this one spanning EYES, and other Heavy Blog favourites Telos (RIP), Hexis, and LLNN among others is easily one of the strongest going.
Spinner spans a brisk 24-minutes across 10 tracks (including something of an intro-track), but there is certainly no filler and it makes the most of every second. A real sort of “get in, do the damage, and get out before they even know what hit them” type of album. Just banger after banger of relentless and chaotic metallic hardcore while being refreshingly eclectic for the genre. Some great guest features from KEN Mode and Feral Nature also add a bit of spice to what is a fairly broad palette for a metalcore album. If you like your metalcore swirling, disorienting and downright heavy, this is one for you. Certified Rotten.
-TB
The Crowdkillers
Season to Risk - 1-800-MELTDOWN (noise rock/post-punk)
Few Kansas City bands can claim to have had such a broad influence on underground music as legendary noise rockers Season to Risk. This is not limited to the band’s music either. Members of Season to Risk, both past and present, have gone on to perform in some of the city’s most well-known rock and post-hardcore exports over the last several decades, including Shiner, The Life And Times, and Molly McGuire.
With their first release after nearly a quarter century, Season to Risk appears geared to reclaim the underground crown with 1-800-MELTDOWN. While the album is mostly a compilation of B-sides and other rarities, it is not merely a retrospective. Opener “Echo Chamber” is a new track that retains the band’s characteristic take on noise rock and post-punk and signifies more of what’s to come from the band, according to vocalist Steve Tulipana.
The foundation of Season to Risk’s style has always been steeped in the rhythmic jittering and confrontational cacophony of genre innovators, such as Jesus Lizard. A propulsive rhythm section with grinding bass tones, clanking angular guitars, and a duly pissed off vocalist - all the pieces for noise rock greatness are present. Nonetheless, this collection of tracks illustrates the band’s ventures outside the confines of traditional noise rock. Most immediately identifiable among these experimentations is the band’s use of spacey effects and voice manipulations. “Echo Chamber” and “Sick With It” briefly feature insectoid trills that sound as if they might be the language of our eventual extraterrestrial invaders. Steve Tulipana’s processed monotone vocals in “Glass Parade,” pitched simultaneously lower and higher than his normal range, imbue the song with a sense of the otherworldly. These effects add layers of science fiction and psychedelia to an otherwise visceral style of music.
The production from track to track is more consistent than many other compilations of a similar nature, but those differences in production quality can still be somewhat off-putting. Despite that, the live-in-studio-sounding recordings (“Gothateria” is marked as an actual live performance) provide a raw immediacy that seems wholly appropriate for a band such as Season to Risk.
While noise rock fans in the know anxiously await a new LP from Season to Risk, they can indulge in the deep cut retrospective of one of the best and most underrated bands to do the damn thing.
-JD
Doomsday - Never Known Peace (crossover)
I spill a lot of ink in this column waxing poetic about art school post-hardcore, eccentric noise rock, and technical grindcore releases, but I would be lying if I said that more straightforward power chord riffing doesn’t hit right sometimes. Such is the case with the full-length debut from Oakland crossover act Doomsday. After a few impressive EPs released in 2022 and 2023, Never Known Peace finds Doomsday further refining their combustible crossover concoction in which they effortlessly meld the galloping rhythms of thrash metal and the stomping chugs of hardcore. Across the length of the album, there are also plenty of ripping solos, gang vocals, and pounding breakdowns. While the band wears some of its influences on its sleeve (the opening riff to instrumental interlude “Extinction’s Hymn” bears more than a passing resemblance to the bridge in “Creeping Death” by Metallica), Never Known Peace is so chock-full of vicious yet polished songs that one naturally overlooks the band’s more obvious musical citations. Despite being placed later in the album’s sequencing, the title track is a particular standout. The rolling toms and subsequent snare of the bridge build up brilliantly to one of, if not the best, breakdowns on the album. Sections such as this practically guarantee a mad dash for a mosh pit made up of both head-banging heshers and two-stepping punks alike.
-JD
Ostraca - Eventualities (screamo, post-metal)
Ostraca seems to be gradually transforming into a post-metal band, and ya know? I am here for it. The Virgianian three-piece have emerged as one of the most exciting modern screamo groups, especially following the release of one of 2023’s finest albums in Disaster. Their marriage of screamo and post-metal is effortlessly cathartic and euphoric, and this new 4-track EP Eventualities sees them further pushing into post-rock. Dedicated softer instrumental sections stretch and knead the tension into fiercely passionate crescendos, elevated by vocalist Gus Caldwell screaming his entire being into each song. The contrast between the lighter reflective side and their heavier emoviolence and pummeling post-metal is more stark here, but they use that to their advantage. When the maelstroms of noisy heaviness hit, for as brief as they may be, it rattles you to the core.
-TB
Mercy Ties - Reflections and Criticisms (noise rock, hardcore)
Seattle's Mercy Ties serve up a brand of noisy hardcore that is more palatable than it has any right to be. Abrasive, serrated and dripping with feedback, yet oh so very enjoyable. Reflections and Criticisms is 11 tracks of menacing chaos and they tick off a plethora of genres during its 27 minute duration, including punk, mathcore and noise rock, among others.
At times they remind me of early Birds In Row or Heiress, then they shift gear and go all KEN Mode on us just because they can. Mercy Ties appear most comfortable when delivering a frenetic blast of hardcore (“A New Hell Ever Day”) but are very capable concocting something much more unsettling (“No Longer Human”), and it's in these moments that things become a lot more intriguing. This brooding creepiness suits their overall sound but adds another stark, twisted dimension, which helps to elevate the record as a whole.
The mix by Kowloon Walled City's Scott Evans is delicious, somehow balancing the grit and eeriness perfectly. The whole damn package is top quality and if you're into any of the bands I've mentioned above you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not checking this out.
-PK
Tuscoma - Mal de Amores (blackened hardcore)
Black metal is not a genre I spend a lot of time listening to, but I am finding myself seeking out more blackened hardcore, such as New Zealand’s Tuscoma. The Wellington trio were supposed to be calling it quits in 2024, but the strength of this release has persuaded them to keep the fires burning. Mal de Amores is a mightily impressive addition to an already killer back catalogue. Complex, creative and, in parts, catchy as hell. Tuscoma explore their post hardcore leanings more than before and even verge into noise rock territory on tracks like “Systematic Romance” and “Short Lived, High Point”. There's still plenty of blasting and trilling to keep the BM purists happy, such as on pounding opener “The Reality Check”. but it's the more experimental outings that really pique my interest. For example, the second half of “Decent for the Lovers” is absolutely epic and just a few notes away from being full blown stadium rock. Not what you'd expect from a blackened hardcore record, but it works and I'm here for it. Let's just hope that the band decides to stick around for long enough to build on this, because with Telos out of the picture there's a crown for the taking.
-PK
Point Mort - Le point de non-retour (experimental post-hardcore, metalcore)
French group Point Mort first caught my attention back in 2022 with their debut Pointless…, largely due to it being one of few albums to capture some of the essence of one of my favourite bands, Rolo Tomassi. And no, it’s not just because they happen to be an experimental post-hardcore band with a woman on vocals, but in their songwriting ability to channel post-metal and mathcore along with other bits of surprises into this post-hardcore package. The vocals do also happen to be great, with visceral screams and an eclectic bit of cleaning that ranges from powerful soaring Brutus-like melodies to sass, with even a bit of quasi-rap and almost a Fiona Apple cabaret moment. Some may find that with all the different ideas at play, the end product could start to feel a little like a salad. But if you’re into progressive and experimental hardcore at all, this album has plenty to offer with the production quality to match it.
-TB
The Circle Pit (Best of the Rest)
Balmora - Prologue (melodic metalcore)
Birth Order - Albatross (noise rock/post-hardcore)
Bleed From Within - Zenith (melodic metalcore, groove metal)
CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP - Become Nothing (noisegrind)
Clay Birds - A Separation From Vanity (screamo, midwest emo)
Deadlock - Buried Alive (melodic metalcore, melodeath)
Emma Goldman - all you are is we (emoviolence, screamo)
Face Yourself - Martyr (deathcore)
Foggy Munitions - Strategic Life Decision Making (avant garde mathcore, noise rock)
Heavy Heavy Low Low - Pain Olympics (mathcore, screamo)
Illyria - The Walk of Atonement (prog deathcore, melodic black metal)
Iron Lung - Adapting // Crawling (powerviolence)
The Jesus Lizard - Flux (post-hardcore, noise rock)
Life - …And Still It Flutters (screamo, post-rock, blackgaze)
Loins - Afterglow (noise rock, funk)
Melvins - Thunderball (sludge metal, noise rock)
Putrid Offal - Obliterated Life (deathgrind)
Record Setter - Evoke Invoke (screamo, sass)
Snooze - I Know How You Will Die (math rock, prog metal, djent)
SUPERWORLD - Surefire (post-hardcore, alt-rock, screamo)
Thornhill - Bodies (nu-metalcore)
Touchdown Jesus - It’s All Feast of Famine (post-hardcore, art punk)
Ukakuja - Kōbi no gishiki (avant-garde grindcore)
Ursula - I Don’t Like Anything (hardcore punk, powerviolence)
Violent Answer - Shift (metalcore)
Whiteweek - The Diminishing Shine (cybergrind, emoviolence)
xInstinctivex - Embrace (throwback metalcore, straight edge)
You can go to heaven - Pictures of the Sky (screamo, metalcore)
Zeolite - L’appel du vide (deathcore, tech death)