Those in the market for some fevered, breakneck metallic hardcore could do worse than Loss, the sophomore effort by Dallas upstarts Seeker. Having released debut Unloved in 20113 (also on Victory Records), Seeker wed the frenzied riff assault of Converge with death metal intensity and near-grindcore levels of velocity, most songs remaining staunchly – and gratefully -within the two- to three-minute range.
"Swallowed" breaks the mold a bit through ingenious segues between pummelling blastbeats and spiralling, hallucinatory guitar squalls, with frontman Bryce Lucien roaring implacably over the murderous din. "Welcome Death" proceeds in the opposite direction a la old Napalm Death: at a scant one minute long, the song would have fit right at home on From Enslavement to Obliteration. Similarly, "Submit" bears all the ferocity and no-bullshit deathgrind anger of Enemy of the Music Business. Not that these guys are by any means old Earache clones: final track "Loss" slows it down for a mind-melting sludge workout, whole notes ringing through a funeral mood of pent up rage and lashed out frustrations.
While not necessarily reinventing the wheel, Seeker play to their strengths – and their genre's as a whole – via unrelenting pit-friendly surliness (no breakdowns here, folks) and spasmodic stop-start rhythm clashes. One of the brighter spots to emerge from the Dallas scene in recent memory, Seeker aren't exactly your daddy's favorite Housecore band.
Score: 8.5/10
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