Vancouver based Baptists first came to our attention with a self-titled 7” in 2011, after having formed in 2010. The quartet soon hit the road and toured constantly whilst getting down to the dirty business of their all-important debut. February finally sees the release of new Baptists material – via Southern Lord – and Bushcraft is a disgustingly rendered half hour or so of true punk infused hardcore.
Loud and intense passages of rage fill this record, but at no point do Baptists lose control of their message of forward motion. “Think Tank Breed” roils in deep agony and eternal fire whilst “Bullets” seizes the throat with an iron grip and doesn’t let go. This wrath continues throughout Bushcraft and despite it’s fairly short running time, more anger is packed into these eleven tracks than you would ever think possible. Doomed out landscapes filter into “Still Melt,” the track taking on ever more fury as it quickly progresses towards a deadly finality and ultimate destruction.
The title track is a lesson in abject discordance and the riffs spin off into increasingly terrifying territory with tangible outrage and rabid hunger for total wrath. “Soiled Roots” follows with a stripped back haze covering the savage words of vocalist Andrew Drury with a layer of confrontational malice before Bushcraft closes on the monumental “Abandon.” Crushing in all respects and crunching with massive bass lines and blasts from the drums, “Abandon” is a fitting ending to a fast and frenetic first outing for Baptists.
Keep up with Baptists on their facebook page, check out some earlier material over on bandcamp or take a peek at their Sonic Cathedrals mixtape from last year to get an idea of where these guys are coming from. You won’t regret it.
New Comments