This band plays an in-your-face version of metallic hardcore. You could call it metal core, but I think it's truer to hardcore and feels pretty fucking legit. Jayway from Bayway appears on "Brain Matter" and drops a rap that works well in a less-than-nu-metal manner. I had to go back and give 'Slowly Turning Blue" another listen as they were pretty blistering going into it, and the album starts to collide with your ears as it's a relentless pounding after another. "Ironclad" has a pretty heavy groove. The guitar sound of this album si dense and heavy as fuck.
There is perhaps an even more confrontational edge to "Starved in Sanctuary"; there are more gang vocals than breakdowns, so that leans them into the hardcore side of the fence. The meanest riff so far gives Slayer vibes on "My World in Flames.". They keep dialing up the heavy as fuck factor with "Convulsing in the dark". "Sharpen the Blade" doubles down on both groove and brutality in equal measure. "Purity Spiral" brings back the more punk elements and gang vocals. But also works in some metal riffs that are pretty crushing.
"I am Still Fucking Straight Edge" is the first song that really clues me in on their stance with this, and I did not know they were a straight edge band going into this album. They close the album on a darker note with "Everything I Love is Dead or Dying". I will have to spend more time with this album; it's as heavy as you can get with this sort of thing, and they still are mindful of the songwriting, so I will give it a 9.5. If you want straightedge hardcore that is heavier than the 90s, then here you go. GIVE IT A 9.5
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