There are certain sounds that are beyond replication and at times bands strive too hard for glory, missing the mark of what could be their own sound. Pennsylvania’s Black Mask is a special fury of hardcore punk, an exhaustive rancor of the likes of Botch and Converge. Black Mask are a bombardment all their own. Black Mask’s self-titled flavors its technicality with a bit more convention, applying a myriad of breaks amid the violent swell. While the six tracks are over quickly, any disappointment is smothered by the record’s blissful lack of restraint. Black Mask melds erratic bombast with a rarely seen sophistication, piquing the listener to invest worthwhile time and energy. Opener “Serpents” breaks necks with its razor immediacy, a crashing weight of lies and consequences. “The Greys” is all vented desperation, ending in an abyssal dirge replete with savagery. “Bottomfeeder” is a metallic hardcore work of art. Screeching and thundering in all the right places, “Bottomfeeder” is one of the record’s strongest moments. The aptly titled “Death Unfolds” is devoid of the speed and literal voice for most its duration, supplanting them in favor of bleak atmospherics. Able to function as background music for an embalming ceremony, “Death Unfolds” knocks on doom’s door by its end. All gloom is shedded in favor “Agony”, providing a punk beaten journey enthralled with the comprehensions of death. “Agony” is a sucker punch of a song. The final track “Loner” forsakes its immediate predecessor’s speed for a slowed down approach that by its end breaks any boundary that the five tracks before it defined.
Black Mask’s self-titled is a too quick but awe inducing record. This band is in possession of a well balanced sound that mixes the worst experiences of life into a fluctuating swath of pain, regret and loathing. If Black Mask continues this way, I foresee a strong future. Black Mask’s self-titled is listenable and downloadable in its entirety here : blackmaskpa.bandcamp.com/. Tour dates and news can be found here: facebook.com/blackmaskpa.
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