Monday, 23 April 2012

Review: Empire of Rats - No Peace EP


Empire of Rats
No Peace EP

Sometimes I listened to music to relax, enjoy myself, or contemplate a whole host of (wankerish?) things.  Other times I listen to music because I’m angry, frustrated, and need an outlet to satiate my more violent tendencies (If I acted upon them and got caught my ass would be traded like baseball cards in prison, so you see my need for a more socially acceptable outlet).  While Empire of RatsNo Peace EP does not indulge my passive shoe-gazing tendencies, it absolutely satisfies my need to know that there are others out there who want to punish and destroy everything that stands in their way.  Although, I’m really not surprised, coming from ex members of Pitboss 2000 and Under One Flag.

“We’re Dead” and “Force Fed” start the album off on a particularly aggressive note, relying heavily on a late-90’s/early-00’s style of hardcore that I grew up on and love to this day.  The EP reaches a new level with the song “Empire of Rats” though.  In under 2 ½ minutes this song tears through well-tread hardcore riffs, throat-shredding vocals, metallic choruses, and even a sludgy breakdown that slows the song down just enough to remind you how forceful the rest of it is.  In other words, this song, and this band fucking pummels. 

The remaining two songs “The 03 code” and “Still out of Breath” continue to provide top-notch I-want-to-hurt-someone hardcore that is quite refreshing these days.  In a scene largely populated by “We only play breakdowns” and “This chorus could really use a clean singing part” bands, it’s nice to know that there are still bands out there that can make angry, but intelligent hardcore. 

Listen to Empire of RatsNo Peace EP if you love heavy, consistent, and pissed off hardcore.  Or if you need an outlet to help you avoid committing a felony.

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