Burst - Conquest: Writhe - CD (2000)

Labels: Prank
Review by: Alex Deller

Sometimes only music like this will do. For those desperate times when I’m fed up to the back teeth of hearing skinny gimps bemoaning lost lady loves and wringing their hands to sultry emo ballads; post rock noodlers wishing they were in hang with Fugazi and Slint; pencil-necks with laptops or college types with too many Pixies records. Sometimes a few simple chords and a howl or a scream will suffice. This can mean Minor Threat or the Sonics, Will Oldham or His Hero is Gone. No set musical terms, just a desire for the visceral.

Burst definitely fall into the heavier end of this spectrum. Almost straight-up, pissed off hardcore flattening everything in its path with powerhouse riffs and a vocalist whose face probably turns very red when he shouts like this. Pick-scrapes aplenty and relentless drumming and lyrics that generally deal with how shite life can be. Reminiscent of some sort of HHiG / Tragedy crossbreed, with juggernaut riffs and surprising forays into clean-strummed chords or tuneful leads that veer towards NWOBHM territory. Dark, angry, brutal and honest with enough subtle nuances to make sure you stick around once they’ve gotten hold of you. Recommended