WOLFBRIGADE/SWIM OR DROWN

WOLFBRIGADE “Anti-Tank Dogs”

SWIM OR DROWN “Torment”

By Dr. Abner Mality

Who’s ready for some hardcore? I know I am. Let’s delve into two new EP’s from bands that want to beat you senseless and leave you in the gutter.

WOLFBRIGADE are living legends in the d-beat/crust scene and with “Anti-Tank Dogs”, you can see why. Three tracks here that take no prisoners, mixing classic d-beat punk aggression with the gravel-crushing heaviness of Swedish death metal. The title track kicks things off and if the Ukrainians could tap into the fury that propels this track, they’d clear the Russkis out in record time. “Brainruler” is even faster and the typical Swedish death metal crunch is more pronounced But the best track is “Necronomion”, which slows things down with a classic tank like “death and roll” riff. This is the longest song, but I could have listened to it for another hour. “Anti-Tank Dogs” is WOLFBRIGADE distilled down into utter purity. Can’t wait for their next full length.

SWIM OR DROWN hail from the apparently fruitful Dutch hardcore scene and have been making the rounds for 14 years. Their sound is much more in the vein of American metallic hardcore, with a heavy influence from HATEBREED and TERROR. Super thick and slow riffs give way to bursts of extreme speed while the singer screams with a shrieking voice. The originality quotient with these dudes is zero, yet in EP form, they take care of business in efficient style and if you like super crunchy American style hardcore, tracks like “Short Fuse” and “Never Be Like You” get the job done.

I can recommend both of these EP’s, but WOLFBRIGADE is particularly exceptional.

ARMAGEDDON LABEL

WTF RECORDS

WOLFBRIGADE

SWIM OR DROWN