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Bastions

Island Living EP

Written by: PP on 14/01/2011 01:39:45

A new breed of hardcore is slowly emerging from Britain: a brooding, claustrophobic take on the genre that has its roots in experimental hardcore, though executing the tortured ideals in a much more simplified and confined manner. Spearheaded by bands like Kerouac, Lets Talk Daggers, Gallows (on "Grey Britain" especially), The Ghost Of A Thousand, and indeed Wales-based Bastions, something frenetic and unpredictable is sizzling underneath the surface. There seems to be a consensus on it being just a matter of when, not if, this underground (grassroots?) movement will explode into a monumental masterpiece similar to the waves caused by At The Drive-In's "Relationship Of Command" or Refused's "The Shape Of Punk To Come" in post-hardcore more than a decade ago. "Island Living", the new EP by Bastions, is another convincing example in that school of thought, and the reason is simple.

Bastions are intense as fuck.

You can sense the sheer urgency and passion that drives these three simple, chord-based units of hardcore found on the EP. The atmosphere is, as I mentioned before, claustrophobic, because it is confined and compressed into a tight space that can barely hold against the pressure. The aggressive screaming, the pounding drums, the way you can hear the guitarist's slaughtering their picks against their cords. These are all factors adding to the uncompromising, anti-trend breed of hardcore that makes Bastions sound so good, or should I say, outrageously ferocious. Much credit must go to the band for capturing intensity on record so well that it makes you feel like you're standing in the middle of the pit at a 50-capacity venue watching the band meticulously tear the stage apart. Even though "Island Living" isn't yet the masterpiece I described earlier, it's yet another indication that sooner or later, a release where the intensity levels will pour over and flood the scene in one bombastic strike will come around. Is this the year?

Download: Soar
For the fans of: Kerouac, Lets Talk Daggers, Gallows, Cancer Bats
Listen: Myspace

Release date 27.09.2010
Tangled Talk Records