Great Reversals - Natural Burial 7"

I've spent some of today listing all of my vinyl records and some of my tapes, so I know what I have in case something happens or I try to re-buy what I already own. It made me feel tired, but also left me feeling as though I've accomplished something. Now it's time to truly relax with a new-ish 7" from Detroit hardcore band Great Reversals. Natural Burial was released in April via How Soon Is Now Records, Protagonist Music and Hydrogen Man Records. As I write this review, Great Reversals are either playing or have just played with Homewrecker and Pharaoh in Ohio. I'm not sure about the time difference between the UK and that part of the US, so sorry for the vagueness.

Great Reversals have been together since 2009 and have quite a resume, when it comes to opening/support slots. They've played with the likes of Defeater and Agnostic Front along the way. They've also released a demo, EP and two splits so far. Natural Burial is their latest output.  With the US's current record in terms of top-notch new hardcore, as well as recent new music from scene stalwarts like Bloodlet, Drop Dead and Haymaker (to name a few), this should be good.

Tracklist:-

1. Leviathan Smiles
2. Siren Song
3. Reason In Madness

Like the 7” artwork at the top of this review, Leviathan Smiles opens with plenty of atmosphere. It features big-sounding guitars and shouted vocals that sound a bit like La Dispute. Screamo though, this ins’t! It’s mid-paced hardcore with plenty of stomp. This 7” instantly grabs you with it’s musicality and production, which are both stellar. Siren Song features acoustic guitar during it’s intro, which provides a gentler sound. Again, when Great Reversals kick into a higher gear, you’re left with a cavernous offering. I mean, I know everything’s bigger in the US but the sound on here reaches as high as the church roof on the cover!

With so much hardcore around nowadays, it’s hard to pick out genuine contenders in terms of quality and originality. Great Reversals separate themselves from their peers with subtle metal influences, while not seeing the need for “br00tal” breakdowns on Reason In Madness. In fact, that goes for the whole 7” really. Three tracks really ain’t enough here. This is the sound of a band who have honed their chops live and know how to write hardcore songs that stick in your head. There’s aggression, but it’s channelled and mature. Things may be over quickly, but that just means you have to press repeat!

You can stream the entire 7" via GR's bandcamp page here - 




Natural Burial is available as a free download, but you really should make an effort to grab a vinyl copy from the below labels and the band themselves:-

Great Reversals Bigcartel - http://www.greatrev.bigcartel.com
How Soon Is Now Storenvy - http://howsoonisnow.storenvy.com
Protagonist Music Bigcartel - http://protagonistmusic.bigcartel.com
Hydrogen Man Storenvy - http://hydrogenman.storenvy.com

Great Reversals Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Reversals
How Soon Is Now Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HSINRecords
Protagonist Music Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ProtagonistMusic
Hydrogen Man Records Tumblr - http://hydrogenmanrecords.tumblr.com