Review: Heartless - Certain Death

Heartless

Certain Death

Halo of Flies

I had never heard of Heartless.  I didn’t know they were from Pittsburgh, I didn’t know they were playing Maryland Death Fest, and I didn’t know they had a new 7” coming out on Halo of Flies (which is a label I actually do know and respect).   Usually I’m ok with the fact that I’m slowly falling out of touch with what’s new/noteworthy in heavy music, but I’m kinda kicking myself that I didn’t know about Heartless earlier than now.  Certain Death is an incredibly heavy 7” that blends hardcore, metal, and grindcore in an astoundingly impressive way.  This is music to destroy property to.  The production value is there, the ability to seamlessly blend styles is there, and obviously genuine nature of this band’s aggression is consistently front and centre.  

I don’t know who decides which bands get jocked hard and which bands have to slog it out on their own, but it really doesn’t make sense that this band doesn’t enjoy the notoriety and success of bands like Nails.  Since I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound or dedicate billions to developing a super high-tech cave, I’ll have to live out my superhero fantasies by trying to get a band like Heartless the recognition that they deserve.  Fortunately, Certain Death is the destructive force of nature that will hopefully allow Heartless to gain the recognition that they deserve.

Pick up the 7” over at Halo of Flies.

Review: Ruined Families - Self-Titled 7"

Ruined Families

Self-titled 7”

Halo of Flies

Track Listing:

1.  Voidealism

2. You Will Become Like Your Father

3. Bedroom Nihilist

4. Quiet

As anyone who has read a newspaper in the last year knows, Greece has largely degenerated into a chaotic mess, with social problems and financial hardships that have no end in sight.  In short, it is the perfect breeding ground for pissed-off, dissonant, aggressive music.  Enter Ruined Families.  While this band hasn’t been on my radar before, they’ve already gotten some well-deserved good press from other websites and publications for their particular brand of punishing hardcore.

While I’ve read numerous ‘they sound like Cursed’ posts about Ruined Families, I don’t agree (although this isn’t a slight against the band.....it’s more of a reference to the untouchable nature of Cursed).  For one thing, this is a blackened hardcore band that is far more comfortable with metal/grind elements than Cursed ever was, and it’s an aspect of Ruined Families that makes them stand out from many of their contemporaries. 

This four song self-titled 7” blends various elements of hardcore, metal, noise, and blackened-whatever to produce 10 of the most desperate and dirty minutes in music that I’ve heard in ages (I mean this as a huge compliment).  While much of North America dismisses European hardcore, Ruined Families (along with other European acts like Birds in Row and Rise and Fall) helps us in the Western Hemisphere that good music doesn’t stop at the shores of the Atlantic.  Sceptics should check out the song “You Will Become Like Your Father” if they doubt that this band can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other Euro bands mentioned. 

Break-neck death metal riffs mixed with anguished screams and sludgy interludes brought to you from Europe’s economic bastard child.  What’s not to love?

Buy it! (I just did)

Buy it in Germany

Buy it in the UK