Written by: Brooklyn Artemis
Releasing your first album after over ten years as a band and four years after your last EP isn’t exactly orthodox. But then, you couldn’t call Rough Justice an orthodox band either. Releasing their first demo in early 2012, there were only sporadic releases across the 2010's as members’ attention remained divided. Vocalist James Tippetthas described the band as more of a ‘passion project’ and ‘outlet’ in an interview given to Knotfest. This only became more of an issue when drummer Josh Baines’ other band began gaining more traction and success in the British, then global scene. That band is Malevolence. But after signing to Malevolence’s label, MLVLTD, the Sheffield stalwarts have reached a major milestone. Rough Justice, one of the bands credited with the creation of the current wave of British hardcore, has finally dropped their first full length, and Faith in Vain is everything I hoped for and more. After seeing them a couple of years ago, and eagerly awaiting new material since, these eight tracks have thoroughly scratched that itch. The album feels like a victory lap--an acknowledgment of the band’s raw roots in demos and EPs still only available on Bandcamp, combined with a more polished sound which takes cues from the scene that has sprung up around them. It is bruising, intense, thoughtful at times, and a very strong start to 2024 from the British hardcore scene. In other words, it fucking rips.
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Written by: The Administrator
Ah, nu-metal. Occasionally umlauted, frequently maligned. My own affair with nu-metal was lustful but exceedingly brief. The tail end of the genre's heyday represented the first time I got to introduce music to my dad rather than the other way around. While my fascination with the seemingly unmatchable aggression of Slipknot or outspoken edge and jubilant oddity of System of a Down didn't exactly translate, we did spend several months exploring and enjoying Korn's discography together. That phase passed pretty quickly in favor of my era of angsty grunge revivalism, and nu-metal ceased to have any impact in my life or listening patterns beyond the occasional nostalgia trip. For myself, and, I can only imagine, many others, it was high time for something new that could capture the same swagger and violence and unbridled magic. And thus, the prolific Garry Brents' announcement of a forthcoming nu-metal project felt like a harbinger: a nu wave of nu-metal was inevitable. Quickly, some background. If you're unfamiliar, please note that Garry has made quite the name for himself over the past few years by benefit of a collection of monikers including Gonemage, Sallow Moth, Homeskin, and Cara Neir. Besides a common creative driving force, these projects share a certain unwillingness to abide by genre convention. Instead, his work seemed to attack expectations, using familiar sounds and motifs but subjecting them to a distinct subversion. Also of note is frequency, as Garry releases new music at a pace that is frankly intimidating. Multiple projects, multiple releases, one remarkably consistent ethos. This is all to say that I fully trust Garry to deliver good shit. This debut album from Memorrhage blew away all my expectations. Sorry to spoil, but this is one of my favorite albums of the year, full stop. Let's jumpdafuck into it, shall we? |
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