Deathcycle

Deathcycle (2006)

Jordan Rogowski

Mixing a healthy dose of d-beat with their NYHC sound, Deathcycle might just have tapped into something special. It's not an entirely original idea, and it's by no means revolutionary, but just that small addition of something different goes a long way into keeping a sound fresh and interesting.

Knowing this, Deathcycle were able to expound on their already heavy hardcore attack with some of the energy provided by the d-beat style. With a very sharp focus and unrelenting intensity, the four-piece is able to plow through the album's half-an-hour duration and offer plenty of twists and turns along the way. NYHC bands aren't generally known for diversity, but this self-titled effort offers a surprising amount of it.

There's blisteringly fast tracks like "Security/Slavery," where vocalist Ron Grimaldi shreds his raspy cords as much as Gary Bennett does to his metal ones, and the rest of the band sounds just as fluid and well-oiled as possible. The thick waves of distortion hit like a brick wall while the vocals cut through it all. The riffs are just a constant barrage of dissonance that results in a rapid fire approach. It works exceedingly well for the band, as time to catch your breath is not even offered in the tracks a minute long. The aptly titled "Angry and Desperate" continues much in the same vein, this time offering drummer Jon Lafata to showcase his chops, and even though he's got just over a minute to do so, it's plenty of time to offer a glimpse into what he brings to the table.

Thankfully they're not a one-trick pony either, because the slower, more churning basis on which "Take Your Life Back" is played says just as much for their talents as songs played twice as fast. One of the album's longer songs at almost three minutes, the band takes every opportunity to fill it completely with all the noise and fury that populates the shorter songs. Just as relentless as before, this four-piece pulverize their way through every rise and fall of the riffs to get a real stranglehold on anyone listening. The title track finishes the album with a little bit from each style transitioning between the faster and slower parts with plenty of ease, always tied together by the unquestionably pissed off delivery of one Ron Grimaldi.

A little bit of a twist on your classic New York hardcore sound, but one that feels like it's not even a twist at all.