SUPREME RITUAL- THE BLACK HAND REVIEW

I spend a good amount of my free time on Bandcamp. I sift through bands’ profiles and try to find some that will catch my eye. Every now and then, I will come across a gem hidden in the sea of music that is BandCamp. Just last week, I stumbled across the metal/hardcore outfit from Maryland Supreme Ritual, and man am I glad I did.

Categorized as metalcore on their bandcamp profile, I was a bit cautious upon checking them out. The good old days of metalcore as we knew it have been long gone. We won’t be hearing bands recreating sounds from bands like Poison the Well, Converge, or Misery Signals. Instead, many bands just play the same basic cookie cutter formula of quick two step beats, trade-offs between clean vocals and screams (usually a mid scream that every metalcore vocalist ever does) and breakdowns heavily reliant on the china cymbal.

Supreme Ritual, thankfully, is not one of those generic metalcore bands. They definitely pull more influence from the hardcore aspect of the genre than metal. From the riffs to the vocalists unique yell, this band sticks out from the crowd. Their introductory release “The Black Hand” proves this point from the second it starts, to the last note. There are no clean vocals to speak of in here and the band keeps a furious pace throughout each song. Just straight up aggression.

The catchy, heavy-as-fuck riffs along with the grooves laid out by the drummer display an interesting fusion of traditional hardcore and metal. The whole feel of Supreme Ritual’s music is dark and heavy. The lyrics match this mood seamlessly. Blunt and to the point, the words being shouted are beautifully pissed off and do not try too hard to be “edgy” or “badass.” The vocals were a huge turn on for me with this band. I am so sick of hearing bands that play this genre with a totally interchangeable vocalist. The vocals laid down here are balls out hardcore yells. There are no gutterals or super high screams, just the excessively aggressive shouting that will always capture my attention. It sounds, to me at least, like a more hardcore take on Unearth’s vocal style.

This band can keep a crowd moshing during their entire set with zero breaks. This music was meant to lose your damn mind too. When Supreme Ritual throws a breakdown into the mix, it hits hard and almost without warning. The drummers off time rim shots and fills really make the heavy parts in this EP much heavier. It almost sounds like the band makes a complete 180 from the fast pace of their hardcore influences into breakdowns that make beatdown bands sound light in comparison.

BOTTOM LINE: Every once in a while, I will stumble across a hidden gem on BandCamp. Supreme Ritual is definitely one of those gems. There is so much I like about this release, from the excessively aggressive vocal style to the groovy and unique drum work, to the stupid heavy and almost surprising breakdowns, I can’t really think of anything bad to say about this band.

STANDOUT TRACK: “Violence” is probably my favorite track from “The Black Hand.” It is relatively short, very fast and to the point. The end of this song is hands down my favorite part of this song. I said it before and I will say it again, these guys know how to write a fucking breakdown, and this fact proves true at the end of this song.

DOWNLOAD THE BLACK HAND HERE

MERCY BLOW- SECONDHAND SUFFERING REVIEW

Finally, I get to talk about Mercy Blow. I have been listening to the Pennsylvania beatdown band’s debut ep Second Hand Suffering since its release, terrorizing my friends and assaulting anybody who is within earshot. This EP is the musical embodiment of hate.
Beatdown is a touchy genre for me.

There are a good amount of really great bands within the genre, but many others tend to bore me, and with the surge in popularity of the genre, there are seemingly countless bands out now. After a while, slow tempos and chugs get a little played out. Mercy Blow, to me, is a breath of fresh air in a genre that desperately needs it.

Mercy Blow has created a mix of sounds that makes them stick out from the pack of new beatdown bands flooding the genre. They seem to pull from two opposite ends of the spectrum: heavy, crushing slam and aggressive, pissed off hardcore music. This actually works in their favor, allowing them to be versatile and play slam shows as well as hardcore and beatdown shows in the area. Add in a helping of sludgy riffs and you have the sonic whirlwind that is Mercy Blow.

So, let’s take a look at the music. Secondhand Suffering is filled to the brim with the slow, punishing chugs you would expect from a beatdown band. The vocalist has a style reminiscent of No Zodiac when Connor fronted the band. The riffs laid out by the guitarists on this EP are great. I always catch myself humming guitar parts to myself for hours after listening to this release. The drummer compliments the band well. One of my favorite things to hear in bands like this are the ride cymbal grooves and apparently this guy loves them too. It adds more to the hardcore influences incorporated in Mercy Blow’s sound.

The breakdowns are almost a hybrid of slams and more traditional breakdowns. A handful of them are kicked off by some of the most ferocious callouts that could hype up any crowd and ensure a wild mosh pit, especially the Gunishment callout (because shit talking).

BOTTOM LINE: Mercy Blow manages to find a way to stand out in a sea of new beatdown bands. With creative riffs, unexpected two step rhythms and pulverizing breakdowns, they are one of the few bands in this genre that you don’t “have to see live” to enjoy. A lot of these bands’ music does not translate well from live performance to recording, the music tends to fall a little flat (with a big handful of exceptions). Everybody in the band is incredibly talented at what they do and work well with each other. If the goal was to make as angry of an EP as possible, Mercy Blow accomplished just that.

STANDOUT TRACK: This one is kind of a toss-up for me. There is not a single bad song on this EP in my opinion. That being said, if I had to pick a track to introduce Mercy Blow to somebody that has never heard the band before, I would put “Purge” on full blast. The opening ring out breakdown is mean as hell and will open up a pit in seconds. I am also a sucker for two step beats, and this song has a great two step moment that is almost unexpected. 

GET SECONHAND SUFFERING HERE

REALITY GRIP- MIND STRIFE REVIEW

What a great way to kick off my time writing for Worldwide Underground than to review a band like Reality Grip. The boys in Reality Grip are a fresh hardcore band from Salina, Kansas. With the release of their EP Mind Strife, they plan to establish their place within the hardcore scene. Creating an agressive mix of traditional hardcore and more modern beatdown elements, the band seems to do just that very well.
As a self-proclaimed “mosh pit warrior,” I immensely enjoyed this release. There is not a single second in this EP that is not moshable. With riffs that will force you to nod your head, two steps that will get anyone and everyone moving, and breakdowns that have the potential to tear venues apart, these guys must put on one hell of a live performance. They do a great job at mixing the more traditional hardcore elements like stomp beats and quick, catchy two steps and more modern beatdown elements heard in their breakdowns. I am not really a fan of bands that rely on chugs to be heavy or, in this case, hard. Thankfully, Reality Grip doesn’t rely on chugs. There a few moments in this release where they do the typical telegraphing of when their breakdowns are about to hit. They will just drop it right on their head directly after shredding through a catchy riff. It is great.
The band is really tight. Usually, with a band’s first release, i expect it to be somewhat sloppy. This is not the case with Reality Grip. The band sounds like they are in complete agreement with what they want to sound like. The furious, pounding drums compliment the aggressive-as-all-hell riffs being played. The vocal style, which I can’t help but hear influences from bands like Death Before Dishonor, match the style of the band perfectly. His vocals are beautifully pissed off and are crisp and clear and easier to understand than most, successfully pushing their messages within each song.

BOTTOM LINE: Reality Grip put out an absolute banger as their introduction to the scene. From start to finish, this EP is relentless. The riffs are catchy enough to keep your head bobbing throughout each track and the breakdowns can incite riots. The vocalist adds more to the traditional hardcore feel to the band, lyrically and style-wise. They play the style they aimed for with precision and expertise. I can’t wait to hear more from these guys and they need to come to New Jersey so I can punch people in the head during their set.

STANDOUT TRACK: This is a tough one for me. The EP’s title track is a fast and aggressive track with some heavy as FUCK parts that will make even the most timid attendee at their show mosh their ass off. For me, however, the track that stood out the most is the last song on the EP, “Reaper”  (featuring Bret Miller). The song follows the same basic formula as their other songs, but the end gave me chills. There is no better way to end an EP than with your heaviest breakdown. Seriously, go check the song out, the end is absolutely crushing

GET THE EP HERE

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