4 out of 5

Label: Hydra Head

Produced by: Vent (?)

Well, geez, this is exactly what I would’ve wanted as a mysterious 7″ on a new label, with no band photographs or much in the way of credits, DIY-ish cover art and lyric sheet, and a recording style that feels carved out of whatever studio time this crew could claw together. It’s a kind of mercurial blend that I’m not sure would hold up across an album, but absolutely rips across two singles, combining early Converge-esque hardcore chugga chugga with an angrier Discord-esque punk vibe, and, like, dashes of… grunge? Funk metal? The A-side definitely pulls off this brew the most effectively, with the raw recording bettering the sound – a harsher edge to the vocals; guitars and drums shattering across speakers; the B-side’s intensity would require some more professional production, as things start to clip out of range, but the passion is appreciated.

Seeing as how this group only apparently existed for a couple singles, perhaps it was too much to ask for this swirl of heavy styles to produce an album, but man, this would’ve had me hyped up for future stuff from the group back in the day, and certainly whatever would be next from this wild Hydra Head label.