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KARATE STEVE “Time Under Tension”
KARATE STEVE “Time Under Tension”
By Dr. Abner Mality
The name KARATE STEVE had me anticipating something goofy like BELUSHI SPEED BALL or maybe a snotty pop-punk band. Instead, this Boston band delivered some crushing hardcore with just enough of a twist in its sound to make it really interesting. This is quite a sleeper release!
“Martyr” kicks things off with an extremely heavy start...it’s a slow paced grueling mix of hardcore and sludge metal like a mash-up between THE ACACIA STRAIN and CROWBAR. But do not judge this album by that one track! There are a ton of different influences apparent in KARATE STEVE and some very clever quirks in the songwriting to keep you on your toes. These guys have an ear for great riffs, whether they are are hardcore, thrash, death metal, sludge or something almost progressive like MASTODON. Check out how the title track and “Gentrifier” mix things up and yet retain that straightup hardcore brutality. “Brothers” has got the feel of classic CRO-MAGS while “Dopamine” emerges as my favorite track with thrash metal intensity that makes you headbang like a fiend. “Third Kind of Fucked” is the most unusual cut, with a more melodic and accessible sound at odds with its vulgar title...there’s some skate-punk and even emo here, but boosted with a hardcore production.
Lots of neat little tricks and flourishes make “Time Under Tension” a great start for these guys, who are already close to getting a black belt in hardcore mayhem!
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