Review Summary: A short but rewarding hardcore release, showcasing a band with raw talent whom were passionate about the music they created.
Hardcore bands that are both inventive and passionate with the music they create are becoming a thing of the past in my opinion. They are few and far between, with the majority of hardcore bands these days emulating their predecessors with unremarkable results, or simply being more commercially viable and therefore less interesting from a musical aspect. Kerouac, a now defunct hardcore act from the UK, are definitely an act that poured everything they possibly could into the creation of their one and only LP,
Cold and Distant, Not Loving. The album opens up with a somewhat deceptive introduction track in the form of
Heavy Hearted. I say deceptive as the sound of the track is quite different to what follows the rest of the album. If anything, the opening guitar line could have been plucked from a post metal song - it begins at a steady tempo yet before long, drums and bass combine and the focus becomes more toward a monolithic and crushing sound. It speeds up ever so slightly before returning to the opening guitar line. the vocalist introduces himself with some passionate screaming... and then, the listener receives a haymaker fit to cause your jaw to be wired.
Lay of the Landfill certainly packs a mighty punch. The pace is frenetic - guitars rumble in the opening seconds just before a quick drum fill brings the track into full force. The vocals could be aptly described as raw and passionate, with the instruments complimenting the ferocity of the vocals very well. After the introductory track,
Lay of the Landfill lays to waste any notion or preconception that the album would be a slightly heavy affair - this is exceptionally heavy at times.
Pale begins with a somewhat ridiculous blastbeat, before morphing into a riff fest of the highest order. As the vocalist screams "your belief lies in torn pages", the guitars build and build into a truly monstrous riff, finally ending with a crushing breakdown.
Our Father's Guns showcases even more heavy riffs (elements of dissonance with the typical metalcore tri-tone are evident in the beginning of the song). In fact, the rest of the tracks on the album tend to follow suit. The sound of the band encompasses that of prolific hardcore acts such as Converge, Throats and The Chariot. However, the vocals are mostly decipherable for the majority of the record, which is quite refreshing actually. Overall, the album has very few flaws. Each track presents itself as listenable, with some tracks packing some incredible riffs and for the most part, brilliant vocals. It is just a shame that the band no longer exist. But what can be said is at least they delivered this beauty of an album prior to breaking up.
Recommended Tracks
Heavy Hearted
Lay of the Landfill
Pale
