The three-headed behemoth that is Spite’s Dedication To Flesh (Rise Records) has all the makings of utterly decimating the status quo and completely redefining the burgeoning hardcore punk machine, and that should excite everyone.

The songs are longer than normally found in the genre; the brand of music does away with predictability in song structure, which sometimes hampers bands; and it’s fair to declare Spite as the heaviest hitter on all of the Rise Records roster.

As with any successfully sexy HC punk record, Darius Tehrani splatters the album with a fiery mix of grunts and growls that mimic a caged lion (‘Some Things You Should Know’), wretched blubbery (‘Hangman’), and toxic putridity (‘Fear’). Tehrani takes it a few steps further, digging deep to sound like a prehistoric fantastical beast. The sharpness on ‘Lord Of The Upside Down’ is as dangerous as piano wire.

The energy is fervently capable of going toe-to-toe. The aforementioned song ‘Lord…’ sees a gnarly build-up and ‘Cave In’ is sizzling, even riot-inducing. The futuristic-sounding tones found in ‘Sounds For The Descent’ threaten and endanger.

‘Made To Please’ is a welcomed and surprising deathcore number as Tehrani sprints through the lyric sheet with frantic disregard. There is reassurance in the bluntness of “Some people deserve to fucking die”.

His words, not mine.

Sharing space with the likes of The Acacia Strain, Spiritbox, and Crown The Empire, among other bruisers, Spite breach and clear the mosh pit in favor of a cataclysmic hardcore punk record. Dedication To Flesh rewards patience while shifting the entire landscape into a morass of destruction and decay. 

It will infuriate you; it will enrage you; it will invigorate you. It’s the musical equivalent of taking a quick glance at your Twitter timeline, except it leaves you with a better taste in your mouth.

Buy the album here: https://riserecords.lnk.to/DedicationToFlesh

8 / 10

MATT COOK