Bleak Reality - Burden Of Shame (Anger Battery Records) - Burden is a debut ep by this Nottingham,UK-based band. It came out at the beginning of 2013, but I never really had a time to review it. The band plays heavy and malicious hardcore with a hard-as-nails metallic twist. The UK scene has spawned out many great bands in recent times, but this one definitely stands out. Even when we talk about ep, it’s not so common that a band can stay on point from start to finish without a single weak moment. And that’s the case here. The ep has 5 songs and absolutely none of them is a filler, all of them rip.
What I dig about this record is that it stays aggressive, but there’s also a lot of thought put into these tracks. You get sharp vocals, great guitar work and big fat ass groove combined in a way that sounds truly powerful and fresh. Nothing seems forced, all the tracks are laced with anger, frustration and purpose. The lyrics have a really dark and negative tone to them, it’s hard to believe life is so hard on these young dudes already.
I can only hope that this release is not the last thing we hear from them and there’s gonna be a full length follow up.
