Review Summary: it's pronounced: sert-zay
3 of 3 thought this review was well writtenThe gimmick of a female fronted hardcore band is absent here as Cerce are no band to f
uck with. From here, I wanted to allude to some relationship, or familiarities –if any – between Haley Williams and Cerce’s fearsome lead vocalist Becca Cadalzo simply due to their punch-lead lyrics that hide no force in their delivery. But the buck stops there. Their attributes are shared no further than their poignant expressions search further and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything remotely relatable between the two. It was a foolish idea to try and incorporate the mental Venn diagram but the metaphor may still be of use in explaining just how dynamic and commanding Cerce are, unsurprisingly, thanks to their frenetic and passionate frontwoman. With a knack for pinpointing when to drop the needle Cerce are band who have the utmost control of their aggression seizing blinding opportunities to unleash blunt quips striking evenly lyrically with their ball busting heaviness to elate even the manliest of men.
Sonically, the band are a mirror image of
Dangers, and that’s fair, as Dangers are fine company to live amongst. Cerce explode bouts of anger much like their lauded contemporary with cynicism that the world really is one big sh
ithole. “Concussion” is tasteful in sounding this message the loudest (‘tis also where I first thought of the Williams/Cadalzo connection). Cadalzo teeters a line of madness that threatens to overthrow the music building her fiery angst. Her sly remarks, like the oddly sexy remark “
druuuug mee” that sounds scraped from the bottom of her throat, serve best to the nightmarish atmosphere the band unveil so surreally. Before you know it “Fornication” has hammered its way between your ears and things start to really heat up.
We’ve needed a hardcore release like this to slap our face and open the blinds to a world where the sun rose from view; reality, for some people, it really is all gloom, so hats off to Cerce for declaring to “put this body to rest”. The eruption ending “Weary” is the soundtrack to the realization that everything is “not so fu
cking pretty” and the world may in fact be filled with “indecisive fu
cking liar[s]”. The most interesting aspect of Cerce, however, is not their direct relationship with the odd but their ability to blend with the most obscure. Cerce do not sound like a band riding the XX chromosomal wave. Cadalzo herself, and her consistent delivery are evident of this. She confidently displays someone on the edge of a complete breakdown, like she was made for the role, she resonates fiercely and the sharp lyricism is what cements her panic – “I’ll never be sewn up again” a friendly reminder for all those unaware of how incomplete the woman feels; It’s this trait that truly makes Cerce remarkable in hardcore today.
