The UK’s hardcore scene has been flourishing lately. One of the many bands gaining attention is Dead Swans. These Brighton boys have been on the scene for a while now, having already put out a debut album and a couple EPs, including a split EP with their hometown friends Architects. Since 2008 they've been on a heavy touring regiment, and recently supported hardcore staple Comeback Kid on their US tour.
Their debut album, Sleepwalkers, is chock full of face-paced and aggressive music. "Thinking of You" is a great opener, and the album hardly lets up after that save for a couple slower tracks, which don’t really destroy the pace of the album. Any fan of Killing the Dream or American Nightmare would find something to like with this album.
One exceptional thing about the album is how subtle the melodic concepts are, but also how amazing effective they are at the same time. The guitar parts seem generic and noisy at first, but there is so much melody to what they're doing, you just need to listen for it. Since the vocals in the hardcore genre bring very little of that, the guitars in these sorts of bands need to hold that down without being overbearing.
These guys definitely exemplify the good things coming out of traditional hardcore these days, that is, bringing it to a heavier place, but without losing the technicality and dynamics that make hardcore such an interesting genre.
Rating: 9/10
Interested? You can stream the entire album on the band's official MySpace.
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