Very few records are capable of kicking the wind out of you. This one did it for a good fourteen minutes, which is the whole of it. That may not seem like long, but think about it, not being able to breathe from so much action, the unbearable feeling of being thrown against a wall repeatedly, the helpless inactivity of getting the shit kicked and punched out of you. The aural equivalent of the initiation into the MS 13. Check out a video of YouTube if you want to know what I mean.
Bastard is like that. It hits you. It beats. Relentlessly. If you are lucky, it’s a knockout, unconscious bodies do not register the pain until after consciousness has been regained, you see. Bastard hits you hard and takes you down. With no referee in tow, it forces your weakened body against the floor and then, in a totally abusive manner, it pummels you to a bloody pulp. That, my friends, it’s how it’s done. Hardcore, purely hardcorian force, has rarely sounded this vital
A few second into Bastard nothing is clear. In fact, doubts arise as to what might follow. The bass and drums combo on opening slice “Shoegazer” will have you thinking of Filter’s “Hey Man, Nice Shot”. Similar tempo. Similar feel, but quickly things turn for the better, revealing a mean locomotive of such angriness Richard Patrick would pop from envy like a children’s party balloon at contact with a needle. Contained heaviness delivers vitriol. Plenty of it. The Ominous Order of the Filthy Mongrels sound inflamed, but it’s hard to get ready for the three tracks that follow.
“Hoof and Ash” is irresistible. Extremely driven and possessed by demons D-beatish hardcore metal. What Cursed was for those who miss them, The Ominous order of the Filthy Mongrels could be for others. Add a quotient of melody to Trap Them’s formula and substract whatever Swedish death metal influences might have been accidentally left and you got Bastard. A total joy to listen to. Looking forward to more.
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