Friday, February 27, 2015

Mindkill – Society Skam Demo...Hardcore that conjures violence!



Although I had already been listening to this demo online, I picked up a physical copy at a recent live performance. Obviously my attention was drawn immediately to the cover artwork. I really like the style. It reminds me of the old Earache Records collage-driven covers such as Napalm Death’s Enslavement to Obliteration  and Scum…also Terrorizer’s World Downfall. The composite images of out-of-control government and big corporation corruption set the tone of what is expected in the audio assault!
The opening track “Enemy”, with no hesitation, rips into an eerie, rumbling, distorted bass solo painting a picture of a desolate landscape. I am not going to do a track by track review, but overall the music toggles from mid-tempo catchy, groove riffs to heavy breakdowns and fast, old style hardcore. I definitely sense an early Biohazard vibe going on. On a few of the fast parts I can hear a slight taste of Power Violence. Definitely circle pit material. The lead vocals are delivered in a short, raspy shout. The backups are a higher pitched yell. The two definitely work great together.
The recording itself is done rather well. Everything can be heard clear and evenly. The sound is heavy and perfect for the band. However, after seeing them live, the recording does not grasp the intensity they exude live. Don’t get me wrong, the recording is great, but live they blew me away. They do a great job of keeping the adrenaline high by balancing the heavy and fast parts. I don’t get out in the pit anymore, but they made me feel like smashing everything in my path!

I really dig this band and their demo. Go check out their FB, https://www.facebook.com/mindkillhtx, they have a lot of live dates coming up. Also, go listen to the recording yourself: http://mindkilltx.bandcamp.com/

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