Hailing from the grim hills of the Steel City, MOUTHS combine post-hardcore, shoegaze and black metal elements into a unique broth that leaves nothing to the imagination in its genuinely unpredictable delivery and execution. MOUTHS captured the tracks for A Lower Process without a click in a live setting as to produce a more organic, energetic and natural feel to the EP, and they haven’t half cracked it.
From the weird off key chord progression in ‘Pendulums’ to the slow burn atmospheric stylings of ‘Leibowitz’, Mouths debut offering is an exciting look into a band that should be getting traction over the coming year, not least for the frenetic energy filled live performances. The opener in particular is a capricious beast, the choral esque vocals produce a sound that whilst vaguely familiar is uniquely alien to the band.
Lockdown projects became a necessity during the pandemic and TORBA (the brainchild of Italian producer Luigi Pianezzola) is no different. Nothing prepares you for the disgusting blown out kick drum sounds that assails from the off. This is a concise 30 minutes of devastatingly heavy darkwave that is sure to knock the Christmas cobwebs out and force a bop to ignite the new year.
This is a record that is built around the extreme, the undone and the unnatural. TORBA often starts the process of writing new material by using deliberately out of tune instruments to, in Pianezzola’s own words, “I see it every day – people not making extreme decisions anymore. They record the stuff clean, and then they try to find the tone during the production, I always try to do the opposite.” The project is in itself a rejection of the neat little boxes that can sometimes wind up being the end game in the production of modern music.
Few scenes in the world are as strong and as vital right now as British hardcore. Currently experiencing a post-pandemic boom fueled by disenchantment and anger at the fractured country in which they live, there’s a vitriol to bands that had been absent for quite a while. Channelling a litany of well known bands yet possessing a distinctly English identity are Chaos Reigns. With a chaotic, unpredictable sound that brings to mind aspects of Converge and Cave In, the London crew have been an exciting force over the last few years since they burst back into life in 2022 and have already shared the stage with bands such as Harms Way and Loathe in their career.
Known for a live show that looks to get the crowd moving in various violent ways, it has always been present in their music but this new EP, appropriately titled Sweet Violence lets the music and the “need to hurt someone else or myself” vibes coalesce in a much better way. Described by the band as a record which addresses the contradictions of life and the boundaries between pain and pleasure, it promises to be a complex, striking piece of music.
“I’ve actually reached orgasm during torture” That one line is Body Count to a tee. Merciless is the newest album from the rap metal group fronted by the pissed off tyrant that is Ice-T, and backed by an even more pissed off mob. As you hit play on the album, you’re greeted with a grisly grind house-style torture sequence with the drums of Will Dorsey punching through Ice-T‘s spoken word monologue as the helpless victim claims they don’t know anything. Ernie C & Juan Garcia’s guitar keep the pace for the minute-and-a-half while the pulsating bass of Vincent Price tears through the band with a thick beautiful crunch. As the torture stops, Merciless truly begins. Modeled after Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’, the title track’s bent guitar note stretches across the song until its last note is played.
‘Purge’ takes inspiration from the movie series of the same name, even sampling it during its opening. A violence-filled tirade takes over the song with an appearance from Corpsegrinder with his signature vocals making the brutality a reality. Vicious, talking about murder, political values and riffs that make your neck call in sick for work tomorrow? Body Count know what the fans want, and they’ll give them exactly that. ‘Psychopath’ plays into that very well indeed. With Joe Badolato from Fit For An Autopsy showing his snarls to enhance an already furious riff. ‘Fuck What You Heard’ is where said political values come into play. Changing the names of the American political parties to ‘Democrips’ and ‘Bloodpublicans’, a familiar looking face on the cover of the album in a strange uniform, but what could have lit such a fire in Ice-T to make this remarkable stamp? The mind does boggle.
From start to finish this record feels like a journey, from deep sadness, to grandiose almost psychotic happiness and everything in that gloomy in between. Hidden Mothers manage to straddle the audible gamut of emotions available to them as they lay bare worries, desires, madness and anger in one package.
Both Luke Scrivens and Liam Knowles need to be given their plaudits, as the vocals on this record are next level. Delicate emotional touches sit comfortably next to dirty screamed proclamations, the dichotomy created vocally is a wonder to behold, akin to the juxtaposition in the lyrics for ‘Grandfather,’ ‘he’s got blood on his suit, but clean hands just the same.’ Between that, the lyricism and the perfectly poised instrumental work Hidden Mothers have produced a work of painful beauty that will not go quietly into the night.
Each song on the record goes through ups and downs so seamlessly the listen is effortless albeit one that feels like it’s trying (and succeeding) to convey pain and sadness in equal parts. The last two minutes of ‘Death Curl,’ epitomise this, at one point the drippy delay drenched guitars ruminate in the background as Skrivens croons delicately into screamed doom metal heaviness. Just when it seems the track has reached its zenith of heaviness the drums kick in for real and pound through a massive metalcore / shoegaze breakdown, with the lead guitars adding a grandiose tone over the proceedings.
Flying out of the south-west’s thriving alternative scene Mallavora have already been making a name for themselves with their ferocious live shows that emphasise inclusivity and social activism with frontwoman Jessica Douek, who lives with a chronic illness, pushing relentlessly for more accessible gigs. On their latest EP Echoes the four-piece push their dynamic sound to its limits with a delicate mix of soaring melodies and pummeling breakdowns.
Opening track ‘It’s Not Enough’ acts as a perfect introduction to the world of Mallavora with intense riffs and engaging vocals being compressed together into a tight yet explorative single. Guitarist Larry Sobieraj’s no-nonsense lead lines and chugging riffs create a bedrock for Douek to build her compelling vocal lines on top of while drummer Jack Pedersen and bassist Ellis James fortify the track with a substantial rhythmic backbone. While comparisons to acts like Spiritbox and Vexed are bound to come up, with Douek’s capacity for tender cleans and throat-shredding screams, Mallavora make it clear from the get-go that they’re ready to carve their own path with their uniquely crafted alt-metal sound.
