Braindead have served up one of the fairly more ambitious and diverse hardcore debuts in recent memory with No Consequences. In a brisk 23 minutes, Braindead blast away through intense revelations regarding sociopolitical frustrations and vague self-improvement wishes.

While shades of both Count Me Out and later Turning Point certainly continue to flare up throughout their sound, Braindead are a bit more liberal in their willingness to play with structure and melody than either of those influences. "Sure Is Lonely Down Here" and "Over My Head" might be mostly straightforward slabs -- albeit ones delivered quite effectively -- but intro "Ati" and "Dear Alison" are restrained, brooding instrumentals while "Guilt and Shame" is a head-turning jab of surprisingly melodic hardcore more in line with No Trigger than anyone, really. On the beginning of "An Exercise in Bad Taste," the band implement these pleasing, melodic chord changes, channeling their inspirations in a similar fashion to Permanent's "And Kings."

On easy standout "So Single," featuring a guest appearance from Jena Berlin's Jon Loudon, the song ends with a spectacular, repeated holler of "And IIIII will forget about you alllll"; this isn't to mention that the song carries a strange and unsettling yet somehow refreshingly arrogant air about it in its lyrical presentation: "I'll sit here and picture myself with modern greats, discussing modern things in a modern space. Watch TV and discuss modern love with modern people and the veils that keep us apart."

On seven-minute closer "A Wake for a Dream," Braindead hit you with an increasing level of distortion/static during its close that becomes so fuzzy and cacophonous that it's practically overbearing (think On the Might of Princes' "For Meg"). But the buildup it clouds is rather mesmerizing, and brings No Consequences to an utterly epic climax.

No Consequences is a solid and impressive effort, and probably the best Philadelphia hardcore debut in almost three years.

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No Consequences