I don't recall Pittsburgh being much of a bastion of hardcore, but perhaps some day Heartless can try and help spark a change. Today might not be that day, however. Their self-titled 7" shows certain promise, but the band's not quite there yet.

What you get on this five-song EP is heavy, pummeling hardcore with a somewhat sludgy, gruel-laden recording and a bit of a '90s feel. Sort of halfway between Mother of Mercy's chugging force and a speedier take on Coalesce's more artful bludgeon. "Concrete", ironically, actually has some of the best movement to the record and a touch more variety in the vocal department. Closer "End of the Line" also adds some cool, Kurt Ballou-style guitar wails to the band's generally direct, brutal attack too.

Otherwise, there's just something off here. The band seem to play well and have a sound structure to their songs, but it's missing that "it" factor that grabs the listener a little more. Also, the track listing noticeably follows the ABCs (Track 1 is titled "Absent"; Track 2, "Buried"), at least on the digital version, where Track 4, "Disgust", seems to be a bonus. Strange.

Definite potential here. A little more development and they could make some (thoroughly engaging) noise.

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Heartless 7" EP