Six tracks of raw, filthy hardcore punk - just the way we like it!
Brace yourselves, folks, because this is one hell of a short, sharp shock of a record. Totalis were conceived in early 2024 as an idea between Andy Lefton (War/Plague, Fear Of The Known) and Charlie Claesson (Anti-Cimex, The Partisans), and from there they recruited Kelly Halliburton (Resist, Severed Head Of State).
Something of a hardcore/crust supergroup? They’d probably hate the idea, but there’s no denying the members’ impressive pedigrees – not least as they also recruited none other than Napalm Death frontman Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway and Fredrik Wallenberg of Skitsystem to share vocal duties. The result? Six tracks of relentless hardcore punk rage; three with Barney and three with Fredrik, and all over in less than twelve minutes.
Relentless is indeed the word; they hit the ground running with ‘The Power Of Plight’ and ‘Theory And Practice’. An onslaught of pounding drums, buzzsaw guitars and paint-stripper vocals, this is hardcore as it ought to be. ‘Dead Legacy’ has a (slightly) melodic guitar line, and a crunchy mid-section, but is no less punishing for either, whilst ‘Corpse Of Mind’ and ‘Control The Narrative’ (the latter featuring guest vocals from Hanna Stjernlöf of Dishumanitar) hit home with all the force of a speeding freight train. They sign off with ‘Somnolent’, which pretty much encapsulates everything that’s great about the band, and grinds to a close with what sounds like a sample of dogs barking ominously.
There’s little on ‘Griefstate’ in the way of respite, but that’s clearly exactly how the band intended it, and it doesn’t half get the adrenaline pumping in your veins. Overall, one hell of an opening statement; here’s hoping we hear more from them, because Totalis are too good to remain as a one-off side project.
‘Griefstate’ is released on 30th June – pre-order it HERE.
- The Power Of Plight
- Theory In Practice
- Dead Legacy
- Corpse Of Mind
- Control The Narrative
- Somnolent
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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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