Year Of The Flood ‘A Utopian View’ CDEP 2010

Year Of The Flood 'A Utopian View' CDEP 2010NOISY BASTARDS!!!!! Year of the Flood, featuring former members of Jesus of Spazzereth, Bumsnogger, Blood Divided and Dead on Arrival are NOISY BASTARDS!!! Claiming influence from D-Beat and crust these guys, on the evidence of this debut 2 track affair, have so much more going for them.

I always associate D-Beat to bands hammering away at 3 chords for 2 minutes while an angry young man shouts political polemic over the top of it but it’s immediately obvious from the opening of the first track “Prophetic” that YOTF have a far more considered and structured approach to their song writing. An insistent clean guitar riff soon gives way to a barrage of caustic hardcore riffing that is as deceptively melodic as it is brutal. Guitarists Mars and Lister aren’t content to hammer away at standard barre chords and throw in subtle harmonic twists that could have easily become lost if the production hadn’t been so crisp and clear. As much as this may ride along on a vicious hardcore beat YOTF know the value of dynamics and step on the breaks to add grooves to the mix…not the tired and generic beatdowns that a million hardcore bands use but a twisted, fragmented groove that could only come from the warped minds of people who actually came up with band names like Jesus of Spazzereth and Bumsnogger in the first place!!!

If “Prophetic” shows a band a step ahead with their progressive approach to hardcore, second track “Canals in the City” is a far more straight ahead adrenaline charge that bludgeons relentlessly in a kind of Rrröööaaarrr era Voivod head rush for two minutes before breaking down into a jerky spasmodic groove. Maybe not as immediate as the first track this is still a fine and brutal musical fist fuck of pretty disturbed proportions.

A special mention has to go to vocalist CJ. So many vocalists attempt to sound vicious and angry in hardcore but usually end up sounding forced and generic…CJ sounds truly terrifying as he rips his throat to shreds in death defying fashion. No you can’t understand a bloody word he says but you’re left in no doubt as to the point he’s trying to get across. I’d be surprised and amazed if he could keep this up for an entire live set but even if he managed two songs it’d be the most thrilling set you’d be likely to catch!!!

So, two tracks, 9 and a half minutes of having your senses battered and your ears raped…enjoy it…you’ll need a cigarette afterwards!!!!

Label: Witch Hunter Records
Website: www.myspace.com/yearoftheflood

Scribed by: Ollie Stygall