CVLT Nation’s
Top Six Hardcore Releases 2012

NUMBER SIX:
Creatures – Vesuvius

I had the pleasure of seeing Creatures earlier this year on their tour with Canada’s Withdrawal and having only glossed over their previous efforts, was completely blown away.

This Southern Californian outfit’s live ferocity is made by their crushing riffs, many of which were lifted from their newly released second LP, Vesuvius.  Like its namesake, “Vesuvius” lays waste to all who behold it.  With interest in Creatures reunited I went home and played their previous LP, “I, Lucifer” over once or twice and then promptly downloaded its successor.

A successor is indeed what “Vesuvius” is.  Not to knock its predecessor, but to these ears “Vesuvius” is by the far the band’s best.  The opening track “Broken Throne” sets the record’s thrashy hardcore meatiness almost immediately.  It begins with your traditional mosh friendly chugathon, albeit a damn good one, and once  you think this will be a mediocre offering :52 bares the record’s big pearly whites.  At this point the record takes a violent, epic dump on the listener, at the same obliterating any notion of possible mediocrity.

The band’s hardcore side is blended perfectly with the crushing riffs.  As much as “Vesuvius” is a record to which to raise the horns it is also one to mosh yourself silly too.  At times while blaring it on my iPod I caught myself arranging my features into some faux tough guy scrunch or just your general mean mug, even casting a glancing punch at a passing wall, unnerving passerby. “Vesuvius” is first and foremost a very well crafted hardcore record that utilizes well executed metallic elements.

The record is quite impressive as the band steps even heavier on the metal pedal.  The sharp hooks of its sweeping riffs carries the record and its listener swiftly on its brief but blistering journey.  “Soulless Possessor” has the record’s most astoundingly aggressive riff amid a swelling breakdown towards its beginning, inciting nothing less than at least a few scrunchy faces.

The drumming on “Vesuvius” provides a blistering, shuddering compliment to the steady barrage of riffs.  Never overtly technical or boring, the percussion is a simple but welcome continuous bombardment.

“Vesuvius” has well polished production that brings the instruments to the forefront while the vocals take somewhat of a backseat.  Do not take “backseat” as a fault though.  On the contrary as they range from a ghostly haunt in the background to gruff whispers beneath the music.

As stated before, Creatures has presented us with a ferocious second full-length. “Vesuvius” represents the band operating at peak condition, demonstrating concise but splendidly grungy musicianship that rivals if not succeeds the majority of their metallic hardcore peers. If Creatures didn’t make heads bang before, they most certainly will be now.

NUMBER FIVE:
Homewrecker – Worms & Dirt

Homewrecker injects the best of 90s’ hardcore in its bleak, vast and relentless sound. “Worms & Dirt” feels like a gem from that era, unabashed in its darkness and granted with monumental ferocity. This record almost immediately calls to mind Integrity, namely the seminal “Those Who Fear Tomorrow,” matching it respectively, blow for blow, with unholy terror.

Double punch openers, “Wreck” and the title track, are near instant crowd killers with their whammy of sacrilegious tongue-in-cheek and abyssal chug. “Chained Hanging Victim” is possessed as Homewrecker with help from Dylan Walker of Full of Hell fame tear through its three minutes-worth of face-igniting glory, replete with mosh friendliness and spiraling solos. The vocals are distant, verging on emptiness, a ghostly, ferocious mix of isolated and angry. Balanced by the solidity of the musicianship that surrounds it, the whole composition makes mince meat out of one’s ears to oddly satisfying results.

“Worms and Dirt” is a sublime blend of bareknuckle hardcore and sweeping metallic hammerfalls. It would be a gift to see most if not all of this record played live, if only to count the amount of teeth on the floor by show’s end. Stupendously crafted as only the best records of its kind can be, Homewrecker’s “Worms and Dirt” comes with all the right trappings and then some.

NUMBER FOUR:
Birds in Row – You, Me and the Violence

There are some extremely good labels out there and Deathwish Inc. tends to outright flatten most of its peers with its catalog of unique and esoteric music. France’s Birds in Row did nothing short of level me with their hyper-aggressive metalcore debut, “You, Me and the Violence.”

This record achieves a near harmonious use of melody and (sorry) brutality. Like an abrasion wrapped in the smoothest of silk, “You, Me and the Violence” moves at contemplative pace that maintains jaw-breaking speed from beginning to end. To the shit-fit quickie breakdowns of opener “Pilori” to the monumental blast-beating of “The Illusionist,” Birds in Row throws the listener from wall to wall, only hard enough to knock the wind from you and just enough to keep you breathing.

“You, Me and the Violence” is a twisted confection of sadness and rage, tempered by the always useful, great equalizer hope. You’re certainly going to be outright inspired to air punch to many of these tracks, but there is a specific elegance to the vocals, tuning and arrangement that keeps one hand sympathetically open at your side, twitching for companionship while its twin batters back the world.

Made of sonicscapes that few bands of their ilk can ever hope to conjure, Birds in Row has crafted a unapologetically catchy masterwork, perfectly balanced in most every aspect.

NUMBER THREE:
The Love Below – Every Tongue Shall Caress

The Love Below is one of those bands with such a unique sound and mood that it is near impossible to stop listening them.  Their music is as abrasive as hardcore can be from the riffs to the off putting vocals.  Ever since I heard the track “Some of Us Have Real Problems” off of an A389 sampler some years back, I was hooked on this band.  I tracked down their demo and was beyond eager when their debut EP “Reproductive Rights” was released.  Their next release was a split with Homewrecker, which featured three awesome tracks, all of which made their way on to  “Every Tongue Shall Caress.” Finally we have their LP and it embodies everything that The Love Below is about.  It is full to the brim with malcontent, debauchery and is overall one of the most unsettling things I have ever heard.  I love it.

The riffs are nothing short of the best kind of filthy, verging on sheer dirty beauty.  Sludge drips in every track like a death march only to speed up the pace into a pure punk riding beat, complete with frenetic riffage.  The vocals are perhaps the most unsettling aspect of “Every Tongue Shall Caress” and are admittedly what drew me to the band in the first place.  Half scream, half cry, the vocals dance effortlessly through anger, sorrow and fear. Lyrically, there is little “Every Tongue Shall Caress” spares, treating reality like an insurmountable enemy that must be mocked at every turn and in every way.

The track titles themselves push buttons, notably “Nazi Uniform” and “Pedophile’s Basement”, which considering The Love Below’s penchant for crude imagery, is not surprising.  Like said imagery, nothing about this band should be taken at face value.  “Nazi Uniform” is a fast paced slap in the face to authority while “Pedophile’s Basement” wallows completely in a pool of self-loathing.  The rage that permeates these tracks attacks everything else from corporate machinations (“Family Entertainment” ) to tyrannical religiosity (“God Don’t Make No Trash”). Economic and artistic stagnation are the subject of “Buyer’s Remorse”, which could be the requiem for creativity.  The self is the record’s most beaten victim and is sung with remorse  pinched by apathy. This is best demonstrated in “Rotten Fruit from a Shitty Tree,” the record’s standout track.

“Every Tongue Shall Caress” is one of the best metallic hardcore records that will be heard this year and is by far the most honest and raw.  Filthy to the core, abrasive to the ears and unforgiving of the world it will make you uncomfortable, oh so uncomfortable.

NUMBER TWO:
Xibalba – Hasta La Muerte

I’m going to come right out and say that Xibalba has outdone themselves with Hasta La Muerte, their first release for the almighty Southern Lord. Their second full-length following the crushing “Madre Mia Por Los Dias,” Xibalba has crafted a warhorse of a record that is likely to rival if not belittle anything similar this year. Xibalba has perfected the art of corporeal hatred with “Hasta La Muerte.” It is first and foremost a dark hardcore masterpiece, replete with enough malice to send chills down your spine. Xibalba continues their judicious use of death metal while demonstrating song writing skills that far and away outdo any prior material. The record’s first five tracks are Xibalba at their usual, crafting feral hardcore with death metal’s shuddering thunder. “Hasta La Muerte” balances its fury with calculated brooding channeled through down tuned dirges that permeate the record’s middle. Xibalba has added a sparse blackened flavor to their sound, most noticeable on “Sentenced”, which calls to mind Behemoth’s seminal “Zos Kia Cultus.”

Interlude “The Flood” marks a noticeable change of pace as a doom laden sonicscape is crafted from thin air. This transition is seamless and an honest wonder to behold when the title track weaves itself between hardcore and sludge. “Hasta La Muerte” is nothing short of the most pissed off track on the record, juxtaposing well with its successor “Mala Mujer.” The guitar play here is akin to Crowbar’s “Odd Fellow’s Rest,” swooning the listener with surprising melody and raw emotion.

“Mala Mujer” is hands down my favorite track off “Hasta La Muerte.” “Lujuria” is the record’s longest, most diverse track, blending all of its best elements into a visceral whole. Signature track “Cold” ends the record for good measure. The artwork is something of note as well, reminding of the covers of Suffocation’s best albums. The ruined pyramid against the backdrop of a swirling broken sky, the lone figure facing this mystery alone: the art speaks much of “Hasta La Muerte’s” consistent wrath and isolation.

NUMBER ONE:
Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind

“All We Love We Leave Behind” is Converge at their finest. Converge, as a rule, represents nothing but the finest metalcore. This time we are treated to so much more. “AWLWLB” channels “You Fail Me” with a passion that at times exceeds the latter, even at points challenging the monumental sorrow of “Jane Doe.” What is most refreshing about “AWLWLB” is that it is just Converge. I enjoyed “Axe to Fall”, but I found that the guest musicians muddled up much of what could’ve been an even better record. There is a cohesion to their long standing lineup that should never be disturbed. This latest entry is testament to that.

Opener “Aimless Arrow” is Converge at their most melodious, matching it with a style akin to the classic “Last Light.” “Arrow” leads into the aggressive, sweeping “Trespasses”, a symphony of duelling vocals and smattering drum work. “Tender Abuse” is short, sweet and a slaughter, hitting you with a fleeting abrasiveness not heard since “Concubine.” True to its name, “Sadness Comes Home” slows itself to a thundering trudge, revealing the track as one of the record’s most impressive. Reminiscent of “Dark Horse” in riff and voice, “Sadness” is when this record begins to command your attention. A personal favorite, “Empty on the Inside” is traditional Converge that melts into bass-heavy military march 40 seconds in, a successful tinkering with aspects present on “Cruel Bloom.” “Sparrow’s Fall” is all fury and beauty, an acrobatic song that heralds the “Glacial Pace” to come.

At this point, “AWLWLB” sheds some of its rage in favor of contemplation, giving way to “Glacial Pace”, a furious but quiet interlude. Converge has always had a near-godly ability at expression through sound and this is most notable here, as “Glacial Pace’s” scope ascends into the punk-infused, aptly titled “Vicious Muse.” Surf rock compliments the earliest moments of “Veins and Veils” before the band blesses the song with its signature freneticism. Based on early reviews, “Coral Blue” was personally one of the most anticipated songs off of “AWLWLB.” The album’s elegant, longest track, “Coral Blue” deliberately feels like a superior sequel to “Cruel Bloom” in more than one way. A whispering dirge that constantly lingers on the fringes of somber excitement, “Coral Blue” is the album’s best track.

A distant storm of fills heralds the uber-pissed “Shame in the Way”, which, along with “Trespasses” and “Tender Abuse”, stands as one of the piece’s successful sucker punches. Just so, since the album takes a turn for the downright melancholic with the instrumental, tender “Precipice.” Converge has a history of pushing the boundaries of each record’s self-contained sound with their title tracks. “All We Love We Leave Behind” is hands down one of the best, succeeded only by the insurmountable “Jane Doe.” The record’s best aspects find their way onto “All We Love We Leave Behind”, making for the record’s strongest “holy shit” moment. Closer “Predatory Glow” in comparison is a bummer given its positioning on the tracklist, but is still a face-splitter of an ending.

Converge has made “All We Love We Leave Behind” available for streaming below via a video replete with Bannon’s art. Sit down and enjoy, this is heavy music’s record of the year and is nothing short of beautiful, terrifying and entrancing.