Hardcore band Prison has shared a new single, “I Don’t Want to Be Afraid Anymore”, a song for 2020 if there ever was one. The politically minded group made a name for themselves from their earlier releases, fierce performances, and activism, and this track is an indicator of where they are headed. Buy and stream the track and support this growing and vital band.
I always enjoy getting to review a début release from a band, and the recently formed noise rock group, Wrong, from Miami is no exception. Getting my hands and ears on the self-titled EP (Relapse), even if only at the 31 minute mark, has proven to be a valuable addition into my music library. Doing some further research on the group, I discovered that guitarist/vocalist, Eric Hernandez, is actually a former two-time drummer for sludge titans, Kylesa. As for the overall groove in the record, it is headbang worthy but also peppers in some aggression that is sure to please a large variety of fans. Each track does a good job in being its own entity but also sticks true to the theme.
While most of the tracks were less than 3 minutes long, there were a handful that certainly stuck out in my mind. One of the more aggressive tracks, ‘Mucilage’ has a very hardcore background to it with a great outro that has the feel of a breakdown without actually being one. One of the “longer” tracks, ‘Fake Brain’, does the best job at mixing both main influences of the aggressive side of hardcore and the noise rock side. The rhythm has heavily distortion in the guitar tone while the leads are higher pitched, tremolo picking riffs. At points, it sounds like the song wants to be powerviolence in the crescendos but stays clear of that type of chaos. Lastly, what would a self-titled record be without a self-titled song. Yes, the second to last track is entitled ‘Wrong’. This one just breaks the three-minute mark and is also a great example of the hardcore rhythm meets noise rock leads. The solo in the song is absolute scorcher as well so make sure to put on sunscreen before getting to the later stages of this release.
Going in to the first playthrough, I was not so sure of what to expect from this new group. However, I am happy to say that this EP is going to be up there with some other EPs I have listened to that will certainly be vying for a spot in many end of year lists. This is only the beginning of Wrong as I am sure they will continue to create and record music that just sounds oh so right.
7.0/10
TIM LEDIN
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