Hailing from Salt Lake City and formed by Cult Leader bassist Sam Richards, Rile are a band with fine credentials who have recently landed on the Church Road Records roster and have created a solid debut for the UK label, which unashamedly takes inspiration from Converge, Trap Them and the like. 

The record delivers a ferocious opening on “Dead End” with a deliciously stuttered bass-heavy rhythm and agonising vocals. The Converge comparison is an obvious one, not least as the mix comes from Kurt Ballou himself, and the song features the nice introduction of some trippy avant-garde leads during a later instrumental section. 

“Climb Out” delivers a slower atmospheric and percussive intro before a pulsating  bassline drops, providing a deeper shade of noise in a KEN Mode style which builds to an emotional finale 

The first real sign that Rile are going to offer something a little different comes with “Hidden From Light” which opens with a phaser-heavy lick melting into a doomier offering, with the vocals initially suppressed deep into the mix before they once again rise to the surface and deliver a heavy slap to the face. And then, from out of nowhere on “Stone Tapas” Rile channel their inner Stone Roses as the injection of clean vocals are delivered in an Ian Brown-style drawl.

Pessimist returns to type with the final two tracks – “Half Love” provides another melodic lead hook to get things rolling, with the vocals ferocious once again. The track builds with hypnotic leads to all out phrenetic chugging, while the closing title-track is hectic and pacey like The Dillinger Escape Plan at full pelt, before the song and the record closes with a demented hum of distorted fuzz. 

So, if furious and phrenetic Metallic Hardcore is your cup of tea, but with a little twist thrown in for good measure, then absolutely take a sip of what Rile have poured into Pessimist.

Buy the album here:

https://rile.bandcamp.com/album/pessimist

7 / 10

ABSTRAKT_SOUL