Sectarian Violence

Sectarian Violence [7-inch] (2012)

Rich Cocksedge

Okay, with a name like Sectarian Violence you kind of know that this is not going to be a pop-punk band. In fact, even the most clueless person would probably pick up on the fact that this is a band that doesn't mince words or its sound, and they would be spot on in making such an assessment.

With a very thick sound that lacks the snappy drum and clean buzzsaw guitar that some hardcore bands adopt, this is a mean, moody and malevolent five-headed creature, born from across three countries on this beleaguered planet of ours and brought together with one shared desire: to knock heads together, pummel our senses and deliver a crushing musical and lyrical onslaught that is short and far from sweet.

The six tracks featured on this seven-inch all show a band that really has some things to get off its collective chest, with opener "No Regard" charging through from start to finish in no time at all, but having left its mark in terms of message quite clearly. "Desocialized," too, delivers its message in an economical manner that is ideal in its brevity and just two words in this song, "Desocialized / Marginalized," manage to paint a pretty desolate picture that encapsulates the lives of so many people these days, lives that many more of us shy away from and ignore. "Misplaced Trust" is another full on discharge from this quintet and it leaves subtlety at the door as it rages at full pelt for a minute-and-a-half.

The eponymous instrumental provides a margin of relief from the full throttled attack, albeit without losing any of the pissed off-ness that the actual songs themselves contain. However, any relief is short lived as "Self Destruction" kicks in with enough venom to knock out an army. "Lined and Shot" continues and completes the balls out attack on ones senses leaving the listener slightly dazed from the pulverising experience.

This gives me the same sort of buzz that I get when listening/watching What Happens Next?. I can't vouch to whether or not Sectarian Violence is as exciting as that band live, but I certainly imagine they play with an intensity that mirrors, and enhances, that found on their recorded output.