By Andrew Bansal
Having garnered a cult following locally and internationally through hometown shows and a 2010 tour of Japan, Brooklyn-based hardcore trio Vise Massacre are now ready to take it to the next level with their debut full-length album “Expendable Humans”, set to release on January 10th 2012 on their own label Gorilla The Horse Records, in collaboration with Earsplit PR. I am on the constant lookout for good new hardcore bands, because the more I get exposed to this style of music, the more I grow fond of it. During one of these exploration sessions, I stumbled upon this particular release, and listened to it with a great amount of eagerness and expectation. After a few listens, I must say I’m quite pleased with what’s on offer here.
This 31-minute barrage grabs the listener by the throat and maintains its grip for the majority of its duration. It consists of 14 tunes that can be best described as dark, heavy and ominous. This isn’t a fast-paced hardcore punk style that typifies bands like Nails, but it’s a slower, grittier, more brutal variety of hardcore, which isn’t a bad thing at all because it gives the listener a chance to properly grasp what’s going on musically. The distinct bass sound is the standout feature of Vise Massacre’s music on this album in my opinion, and I love the fact that it’s so clearly audible. In terms of the guitar work, it’s not solely about distortion, and there is a hefty amount of discernibly clean guitar riffs. For a D-I-Y type album, the production here is excellent, and ensures that you don’t end up with bleeding ears by the time you’re done listening to the album.
The only negative I can point out here is its length, which might sound weird because it’s only 31 minutes long. But I feel that the music here is so menacing that it doesn’t need 31 minutes to do what it aims to do. It would have been absolutely perfect if it was 2 songs lighter. But other than that, this is a terrific release that should satisfy the needs of all hardcore fans. I predict the band gaining a more nationwide fan base following the release of this album. A crushing effort indeed.
Rating: 9/10
US Release Date: January 10th 2012
Label: Gorilla The Horse Records/Earsplit PR
Track Listing:
1. Paralyzer
2. Bloodsucker
3. Eyes Of Fire
4. Hail to the Wicked
5. Something Like Silence
6. MTA
7. Pushed Down
8. Internal War
9. Shark Intentions
10. Stranger
11. Winter Kills
12. Kill to Survive
13. Brain Decay
14. Rising Tide
Related: Rich Muller interview