The debut 7″ from this Vancouver, British Columbia hardcore act is brilliant. These days, it is quite rare that I pay attention to, much less enjoy hardcore. However, these veterans of the scene (members of Sports, Ladyhawk and A Textbook Tragedy) formed in 2010 and quickly recorded four impressive songs. The demo was just collecting dust until they received an email from Greg Anderson of Southern Lord. Their reply was half-hearted because they assumed the message was a hoax. Thankfully, it was not.Casual listening might lead one to think this is just for those stuck on 80′s / 90′s hardcore scenes. Upon further investigation, it is clear that Baptists are not simply dwelling in the past. Beginning with elements of Converge, Cursed and Neurosis, they add layers of grind, death and crust, amidst old school shrieking punk vocals and melodic guitar. All of this is enhanced by the technically gifted chugging guitar/bass riffs, and aided by the drummer’s punishing prowess.
These guys are no amateurs and the intensity and professionalism of this 7″ is exceptional. Baptists remind us of what some may forget here - Hardcore can be raw and aggressive enough to insight youthful primal anger, but it can also be intelligent enough to appeal to those with aged and refined tastes.
The only disappointing aspect of this recording is that, at a mere twelve minutes, it is over too quickly. This is an innovative and promising act with much potential to be tapped into. Once you give it a listen, I’m sure you too will be anticipating the full-length direction their creativity is taking them.
Get It Here
This post originally appeared in an article I wrote for Adequacy.net
No comments:
Post a Comment