Labels: Assurd Records/Hecatombe Records/ZAS Autoproduzioni Records/Youth Of Today Records
Formats: Vinyl/Digital
Release Date: 20 Jan 2020
Tracklist:
1. The Creation Is Beyond Saving
2. Dictates From The Cradle
3. Light Beam
4. Confusion Reigns
5. Horrible Visual
6. Gazing At My Lifeless Body
The bank holiday weekend was an unmitigated write-off for me. Over indulgence and the resulting tiredness put pay to any chance of me writing. A bit of fast hardcore/powerviolence should help banish the guilt I feel. Old Man is the latest release from Italian trio The Mild. It's their third release, following their 2015 debut 7" Left To Starve and their 2018 full-length Coffin Tree. As with every other band at the moment, The Mild have been forced to cancel their live plans for the year until things get back to normal. Instead, they're relying on support from fans via digital downloads and merch sales.
‘Six songs on a 7’ EP?’ I hear you say! I can’t remember that last time I listened to one that was packed with more than four, but then again I have missed quite a few I’m sure. Italian band The Mild are here to change that with their most recent EP Old Man. EP opener ‘The Creation Is Beyond Saving’ starts off like a heavy hardcore song, with bigs riffs and a pace that’s more sludgy-like than it is fast. The tempo does build but it never explodes like you might expect.
‘Dictates From The Cradle’ is more raucous and thrash-like. The noise that this trio creates is brought to life by the EP’s mixing/mastering and despite the short song lengths, there’s a lot going on. The Mild covers a lot of ground in a short time musically. They also love feedback and black metal curiously. ‘Light Beam’ begins with a smattering of both before launching into another huge piece of heavy hardcore. It may sound from my opening descriptions like they don’t know what they want to be, but trust me, The Milld certainly do know.
There’s a much bigger metal influence coursing through Old Man that first appears and it’s again evidenced on the technical ‘Confusion Reigns’. It’s not technical in the modern day death metal sense, but in a way that is, when you look past the layers of grind and punk that make up the backbone of this release.’Horrible Visual’ reminds me that powerviolence has changed greatly over the last five years or so. Bands that I used to worship (and still love) like Famine (UK) and Water Torture have either disappeared or split and what’s left just ins’t as groovy or as fun. The Mild help to fill that hole here.
EP closer ‘Gazing At My Lifeless Body’ is as grim as the title suggests. There’s a gloomy death metal element here and The Mild are not messing about. There are so many comparisons you could draw here (and indeed I’ve already mentioned some above) but as kick-in-the-balls heaviness and punk attitude goes, The Mild wins 2020 already. Italy has a thriving scene at the moment and these guys are doing it justice for sure!
You can stream Old Man and buy it on vinyl or digitally (and with other merch) via The Mild's bandcamp page below:-
The Mild - https://www.facebook.com/themildnoise/
You can also grab the 7" from the labels below:-
Hecatombe Records - http://hecatomberecords.blogspot.com
ZAS Autoproduzioni Records - http://zasrec.blogspot.com/
Youth Of Today Records - https://youthoftodayrecords.bandcamp.com/
Assurd Records - https://www.facebook.com/assurdrecords
Hecatombe Records - https://www.facebook.com/hecatomberecords/
ZAS Autoproduzioni Records - https://www.facebook.com/ZAS.AUTOPRODUZIONI/
Youth Of Today Records - https://www.facebook.com/youthoftodayrecords/
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