15072014 - Wake "Leeches"

I was actually looking for the Little Rock, Arkansas band Rwake, but found these noiseniks from Calgary instead. They deliver assaulting hardcore punk with grind elements, and are sure to wake you up, pardon the pun. Most tracks stay safely below the two minute mark, but they also have a couple of songs that close in on three minutes. One of these, the album's title track, boasts a menacingly heavy riff, but still manages to incorporate some blasting drums when needed. The vocals are probably the most hardcore part of the band, and should delight any fan of the genre. At first listen some of the faster and shorter tracks go by a bit too quickly to make an imprint, but it's still easy to tell that there is plenty of variation within the confines of what they do. Tracks like "The Means to the End" are both brutal and heavy, something not all fast bands manage, and by the relatively melodic end of the album you even find yourself wanting to come back for seconds!