Here’s one that’s out of the blue. Folks from Assfactor 4, Unherd and Tonka playing chuggy, emotive hardcore (not a genre I am overly familiar with, maybe something like Undertow?), spliced with sudden bursts of emphatic spazz, A4 stylee. There are nine songs on here, and many fuse the slowed down crunch with the melodic impulse of A4, with hoarse and broken vocals. This is music lifted straight out of the mid 90s hardcore scene, unreservedly, unapologetically, and do I hear you complaining? Sled can go from floor punching to floor writhing within minutes, that’s something you just don’t get every day in the 21st century. “Metal Boy Band” could have slotted in nicely on Sports, but that is about the only one of the tracks present that leans more heavily on the A4 sound. Best track is final song “Corpse” which is totally bruising, and makes the best combination of their emo and hardcore elements. Punishing stuff.
Musically this is not entirely up my alley, as my appreciation of chuggy hc is not eternal, but it’s good to hear a DIY throwback of this nature, played well and well delivered. Can’t say fairer than that.