Roaring out of the deserts and dives of Phoenix, Arizona come Sacred Followers, an absolutely brutal hardcore wrecking crew featuring members of Gay Kiss and Lusitania. Dark Grease is an already gone limited tape release on Mike Martinez’s awesome zine/tape/whatever label Workin’ Nights, which collects their 2011 demo together with a couple of new tracks, all wrapped up in some stark ink-work from Philly scratcher Matthew Bellosi.
Dark Grease is basic, raw and animalistic, pure hardcore energy and rage at its most simplistic. These tracks are feedback drenched, mainly down-tempo, sludgy trawls through oceans of furious dissonance and crashing drum blasts. Sacred Followers lay down some of the heaviest, most fuzzed out bass lines ever committed to tape, like a doom metal four string slinger stumbling in an opiate daze into the middle of a 90s hardcore circle pit. Guitars slip and slide through some seriously disgusting down tuned train-wreck riffs underneath absolutely indecipherable vocals. Perfect.
The title, cover art (Jesus strung up on a syringe), and design (bare bones) of this release all perfectly capture the sonic shitstorm within. This music is hardcore distilled to its bare essential ingredients – noise and rage – and it is grimy and murky like dark grease, like the band is spewing out these last few songs while slowly drowning in a tar pit. You will probably feel like taking a shower after listening to this tape.
Definitely keep an eye on this band, and while you’re at it watch out for any new releases from multitalented members Roger Calamaio and TK Nicholson, who’ve put out some awesome writing/art zines through Workin’ Nights and Max G. Morton’s 23 Wolves label, respectively.
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