It’s Monday and Monday’s suck, so let’s grind it out with Gets Worse Blacked Out.
Powerviolence, to me, has always been a difficult genre to pull off and make interesting. It’s a bridge between grindcore and hardcore/punk, that emphasizes blasts, disjointed rhythms, and heavy-as-hell breakdowns. There’s plenty that can play it, and then there’s bands like Gets Worse, one of the best bands in the genre that just keep getting better.
The Leeds, UK four piece has been pumping out groovy powerviolence since 2011. And if you’re into the genre, you’ve probably already heard their name. They’ve done splits with the likes of Fissure, Endless Swarm and Henry Fonda, in addition to plenty of solo releases. Their latest album, Blacked Out, is another ace notch in their pummeling discography.
“Black Hole” kicks off the record with a straightforward punk beat, getting the energy flowing. We break to chug early on, and then the band gets to a nice, fat blast. It’s brief but placed perfectly. The song gets dense as it drives on, breaking things down and ending on a heavy note, rife with sustain and feedback.
“Long Tooth” keeps with the slower pace as a slower, heavier song. There’s no speed to this one, just some nice groovy riffs to compliment the trudge. It’s a mosher of a track. “Struggle” is similar but gives the record a little more oomph. It’s punkier and keeps things hardcore.
The band gets to grinding more on “Weathered” but still plays to their heavier aspects. The first half of the track is another punk driver that gives way to a tasty grinding frenzy. By the time Gets Worse get to the second half of the piece, it slows down more and more into one, final strike.
The final two tracks, “Aim Low” and “Riff Tannen” don’t throw a wrench into the equation, but do reinforce the band’s kick ass writing and are the best pieces on the record. “Aim Low” is a little bit of everything: sludgy, powerviolence beatdown, hardcore and sporadic grinding sections. It’s a dizzying track that’s satisfying in its brutality. Meanwhile, “Riff Tannen” is a moody bastard that starts out grinding as hell and builds itself into a powerviolence monster by the time it finishes, lingering on feedback.
Gets Worse are one of the best bands in powerviolence. Their discography is essential if you’re into hardcore, grind or powerviolence. They don’t do anything new with the genre, but they do write songs that will get lodged in your brain. So get on this and black out your Monday with Blacked Out.
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