Black Art/Surrender The Coast - Split 7"

UK hardcore punk has always led the way. It's influence so many bands from around the world for longer than I can remember. I've seen it change and grow over the last ten years, with new bands going over the top of the invisible "trench" of the underground and getting into people's faces. Black Art and Surrender The Coast are two such bands and this split 7" is a perfect of example of two bands   making their way into public consciousness. I say that because until Footloose Records shoved this under my nose, I hadn't heard of either band.

Black Art are from the South West and play self-professed "hard punk". They recently toured Europe in September and October, taking in shows in The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic and Poland. Meanwhile, Leicester troupe Surrender The Coast are also no strangers to the road and recently toured the UK with Sworn To Oath.

Tracklist:-

1. Black Art - Life Stalker
2. Black Art - The Endurance
3. Surrender The Coast - Lost Souls
4. Surrender The Coast - Dreamcatcher

Black Art’s side of this split begins with Life Stalker and their sound is strangely familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. There’s melody in their riffs, with hints of post-hardcore. The vocals switch between intense screams to semi-shouted/gruff singing. There’s also plenty of rock n roll swagger too. This is reminiscent of the late Alexisonfire and even The Ghost Of A Thousand. Second song The Endurance is equally as rousing, with a great intro and powerful tempo. Black Art ring the necks of their instruments but still manage to sound controlled and focused. Those groove-laden riffs are more than welcome within their hardcore-punk. They’re catchy and will definitely appeal to a pretty wide group of hardcore fans, while bridging the gap for those who are into rock and more straight-up punk.

Surrender The Coast are equally as catchy with Lost Souls, while being slightly heavier. There’s off-kilter guitars in there and a pretty big stomp too. Separating both bands is harder than you think on this split, because they both come from a similar end of the spectrum. Dreamcatcher follow the same formula, with plenty of Southern flavour akin to that of A Life Once Lost’s Iron Gag. The pace is pretty frenetic, as it has been throughout this split and  you can’t fault Surrender The Coast for keeping the momentum high. The production levels across both sides compliment the furious styles and pace of both bands.

So, here’s two bands that are putting the groove and swagger back into British hardcore and punk. They come across really well, showing strong intent and song-craft. Whichever way you look at it, the UK is getting stronger all the time and both Black Art and Surrender The Coast are definitely going to move on to bigger things.

You can buy the split from Footloose Records here - http://www.footlooserecords.com/products/black-art-surrender-the-coast-split-7

You can stream Black Art's track The Endurance and Surrender The Coast's track Lost Souls via Youtube below:-

Black Art Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Blackartuk
Surrender The Coast Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/surrenderthecoast
Footloose Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Footlooserecords