The debut EP from California's Restrained (on Glory Kid Records) blows through six concise tracks of furious metallic hardcore in about 11 minutes. For the most part it's fairly standard, 90's-inspired metallic hardcore based around chunky power chords and traditional hardcore runs given that heavier edge, with a few forays into darker musical influences with some slower breaks or clean runs—which, when combined with the harshness of the screamed/yelled vocals, definitely lends a certain dingy kind of His Hero is Gone aesthetic to the material. And lyrically it's a pretty even mix of the personal and political, which also makes sense given the combination of hardcore/punk influences swirling around in the mix. They're certainly not rewriting the book here, but I don't give two shits about that. The writing and recording are absolutely solid, and they're very good at what they do, so... I'm all for it. Not bad at all, and I'll be curious to see where these cats head in the future...
The 7" is limited to 500 copies with screenprinted covers and inserts, so... vinyl junkies rejoice, heh.
Comments
Very powerful in the vein of Pulling Teeth and Iron Monkey. I’ll be looking out for this.
4.30.2008 | By Birkir