Sunday 8 January 2017

Funeral Chic - Hatred Swarm


Tracklist:-

1. Shade
2. Hatred Swarm
3. Ugly
4. Down From The Branches
5. Roots Of Bad
6. The Punishment
7. Hard Wind
8. Humanity Abandoned
9. Ready To Die
10. Unspeakable Acts

US hardcore band Funeral Chic released an LP in September 2016. I first heard about the band when they released a tape via UK label Headless Guru Records in 2014 (US label 13th Floor Records also released tape copies and Headfirst! Records pressed a 7" a year later). Their debut full-length is amongst a long list of killer US hardcore that I still need to listen to from last year, which includes Of Feather And Bone, Die Choking, Full of Hell and countless others. It's cool to see these guys moving onto better things. Let's see how pumped up this can get me for football this evening. 

The creeping feedback that opens Shade shows that “Hatred Swarm” isn’t all that it seems. That opening passage builds anticipation that heralds Funeral Chic’s blackened, grinding force. They hit full stride almost instantly and flail wildly on the title-track. Even the transitions leave no place to hide here and the pace doesn’t let up. The breakdowns show hints of hardcore and you can definitely see why this record was released via To Live A Lie. I don’t think any other label would have been right. Like the UK’s Geist, Funeral Chic possesses a truly deafening volume and intensity. Ugly is full of horrible atmosphere and rage, which flows into Down From The Branches. The blackened shrieks and riffs in the background prove how far this band has travelled down the left hand path since their EP. The layers and textures on Roots Of Bad paint a picture of the undercurrent of discontent in the US. The heavy scene there seems to be the mouthpiece for those most angry and Funeral Chic don’t shy away from showing their feelings on True Punishment. There’s very little in terms of mid-paced calm on here, but the song-writing is very clever in that even when the band ratchets up the pace, they still add short passages that break up the barrage, as demonstrated on Hard Wind. Old-school death-like soloing greets you on Humanity Abandoned, which harnesses that influence to perfection. Low-growls and thick riffs all around. That thick and murky death-metal sound carries on into penultimate song Ready To Die. It’s epic from start to end and shows how well Funeral Chic merges many influences and approaches into one whole. They definitely play as a band full of confidence and belligerence. It’s a real pity when final song Unspeakable Acts comes round because this album could go and on and on and I’d still be headbanging. Not one for the casual listener but a big step forward for Funeral Chic and an utterly infectious one at that. 

You can stream and grab "Hatred Swarm" from Funeral Chic below:-



LPs can be picked up from To Live A Lie Records here - http://tolivealie.com/store/

Funeral Chic Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/funeralchicnc
To Live A Lie Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tolivealie

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