Review Summary: Leeds Hardcore ready to spin kick you back to the 90s
The UK Hardcore scene is undergoing a bit of a renaissance at the moment. For a couple of years after Frank Carter left Gallows, there weren't really many big names hailing from good ol' Blighty, with US giants like Expire, Trapped Under Ice and Comeback Kid dominating the scene. But since the formation of bands like Malevolence, the release of Desolated's first (and last) LP, and the cluster of northern bands like Guilt Trip and Grove Street Families erupting, there seems to be life in the old girl yet.
Enter Higher Power.
I first got wind of these guys when i booked tickets to see Basement on their March tour of this year, before Soul Structure or any of the singles had been announced. On it's first listen, their debut EP, Space To Breathe is a little bit of an oddity; the certainly unique vocal style smacks you round the face, but the riffs are marred by some poor mixing. After this first listen, I didn't pay that much more attention to them until Can't Relate, the lead single from this album, dropped. Packed with pacy riffs, those wailing vocals that're somewhere between Turnstile and The Beastie Boys, and the rhythmic, dynamic drums, the band's sound came to life. Space to Breathe, in retrospect, is no bad EP; every track is huge live, and it hits like a truck, but Soul Structure is a whole new kind of powerful.
With the 90s throwback styling of Turnstile's 'Nonstop Feeling', the melodic ornamentation reminiscent of some Mizery tracks and the aforementioned stunningly unique vocal melodies roaring over the top of it all, Soul Structure is a triumph. From the lazy bass intro of Looking Inward, to the punishing and thoroughly unexpected breakdown on Reflect, this album is drenched in style and talent. The funk-inspired drums that underpin every track are fresh and driving, the riffs powerful without falling into any cliched pitfalls that are so common in the genre, perhaps the only fault with the album being that some of the tracks are a little bit samey and anonymous due to how solid the band sticks to their neatly carved out sound.
That said, each track is solid, entertaining and packs a meaty punch, save for the short and slightly redundant 'Embrace', which at only 1:36 in length, fails to stick in the mind. The lyrics are introspective, and thankfully steer clear of the 'tough guy' nonsense that some bands in Hardcore seem only too fond of. Whilst it's hard to pick highlights on such a good album, the brooding and ferocious closer 'You Ain't Much' and the driving 'Between Concrete and Sky' are two absolute gems, exhibiting all of the band's strengths to their full.
Heavy yet instantly accessible, unique whilst wonderfully nostalgic, Higher Power's Soul Structure is the culmination of the resurgence of UK Hardcore. The UK's Turnstile? God no. Higher Power are their own band, standing tall above their peers, as having one of the most intriguing, unique and well written debut LPs in the genre, and they can only go upwards from here.
