Blacklisted

When People Grow, People Go

Written by: PP on 24/03/2015 02:02:42

Prepare to get your body shredded to bits. Warning label attached to the fourth Blacklisted album, "When People Grow, People Go", their first full-length in six years. It's a brutally uncompromising hardcore album that sources its chaotic moments straight out of Converge's repertoire complete with screeching guitar onslaught and devastating vocal delivery, but also spends considerable time experimenting with the genre to produce a multitude of interpretations within the style. Though much heavier and less melodic in comparison, fellow Philly band Paint It Black influence can be felt in this department in the desire to push the envelope away from standard two-step rhythms and down-tuned, mosh-friendly riffs.

First off, you have a track like "Turn In The Pike", which opens with a screeching onslaught of absolutely devastating metallic hardcore that owes everything to Converge. Then you have "Riptide", which draws from Dillinger Escape Plan's calmer tracks especially in the vocal department where George Hirsch pulls of his best Greg Puciato impersonation of the record. The third type of track you'll notice is "Deeper Kind", a surprisingly catchy track (the genre considered), which delves into melodic hardcore and is best comparable to the heaviest and most aggressive Comeback Kid material out there. Is the hardcore kid within you drooling just yet? Not many bands can manifest such high profile namedrops in connection with their music. All of this can be attributed to Blacklisted's aspiration to experiment with hardcore and provide for a multifaceted expression not limited by the same old tired dynamics we've heard over and over again. Yet you could argue that the band are at their best during their more melodic parts, as both "Foreign Observer" and later "Bottle Rockets" suggest an ability (if not an outright desire) to go for the more anthemic side of hardcore, even though things are of course kept heavy and gloomy for the sake of Deathwish Inc, their record label.

"When People Grow, People Go" lasts for just about 20 minutes. Any longer and it may have risked a monotonous vibe despite dabbling in so many different interpretations of hardcore. And that's because the record doesn't go far enough in its experimentalism. We've seen Turnstile and Cruel Hand show just what's possible to do with hardcore if you really think outside of the box, not to even mention the ridiculous approaches taken by Deez Nuts and THE HELL on their respective albums. Even Verse takes a few more liberties in comparison. In that context, Blacklisted's experiment seems a little tame and orthodox, despite nonetheless delivering a fierce, metallic piece of hardcore that's worth at least checking out.

Download: Deeper Kind, Foreign Observer, Bottle Rockets, Turn In The Pike
For the fans of: Converge, Comeback Kid, Trash Talk, Cancer Bats, Dillinger Escape Plan
Listen: Facebook

Release date 10.02.2015
Deathwish Inc

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