Another band out to break the rules of hardcore - we say go for it!
Rare are bands that draw influence from both underground hardcore and arena-sized hard rock/metal bands, but upstate New York quartet Flatwounds do exactly that, and they do it well. This four-track effort is the latest in a string of EPs and singles since the band’s formation in late 2022, and it’s apparently themed around the idea of pushing back against societal and self-imposed pressures in favour of being your authentic self.
Opening track and lead single ‘Emulator’ kicks the metaphorical door down in a barrage of rumbling bass, a siren-like guitar line and a myriad of samples, before a chorus that features frontman Colin howling over a monolithic, churning down-tuned riff. It’s swiftly followed by ‘Separate’, which blends some New York hardcore bounce with a dark, grunge-flavoured vibe. Alice In Chains gone hardcore? Well, kind of.
There’s some great Helmet-esque riffing on ‘Face It’, and whilst the shout-along chorus is something of a Flatwounds trademark, the bout of guitar shredding takes us very much by surprise – in a good way. The closing ‘Inertia’, with its refrain of “Like something you can never touch/Like something slipping through your clutch”, ends things on a mournful but highly memorable note, with that grunge influence once again resurgent.
Apparently, Colin hopes that “when you listen to the music, you feel that Flatwounds is something that you haven’t heard”. Well, we’re pleased to say that he and his band are doing a pretty damn good job of forging their own musical path, and we’re already eager to hear what they’ll come up with next.
‘Chain Of Command’ is released on 20th March – pre-order it HERE.
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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