Old Skin
Out on October 31st through
I first became aware of Manchester's Old Skin when I heard the limited CD sampler version of Mære. Considering it contained only three minutes of music over two tracks, it still managed to blow me away. The depth of ideas, and the terrifying intensity with which they were executed made it immediately apparent that Old Skin were a band capable of great things, and I eagerly anticipated hearing more of their devastating hardcore.
With the forthcoming October 31st release of the full EP, split between some of the UK's best DIY labels, namely Church Of Fuck, Dry Cough Records and Skin & Bones, that anticipation is nearing an end.
The tambourine and reverberating guitar that opens 'Sleep//Sores' is an unusual way to open the EP, and there may be a moment when you'll genuinely wonder if you're listening to the right release, especially when the vocals begin, the ethereal tones giving the impression they've decided to abandon hardcore in favour of becoming a terrible Echo & The Bunnymen tribute act. Combined with the use of off-kilter percussion, the whole track feels somehow disjointed, the aspirations towards atmospheric effect falling somewhat short of the mark.
The payoff when they eventually explode into life around the two-minute mark makes it all worthwhile. The unbridled rage of each of the members can be heard perfectly in the sheer force of the track, courtesy of producer Joe No Studio's devastatingly clear recording, and another excellent mastering job by Broad Boatright of Audiosiege. The band keep up this relentless momentum through the grind-inflected blasts of 'Hag//Ridden' and 'Foolish//Fires', the abrasiveness present in these tracks will have fans of the hardcore end of Southern Lord's recent output foaming at the mouth.
The thick, churning bass and pounding drums that signal the beginning of 'Moral//Panic' take things into powerviolence territory, before the atonal riff and furious vocals coalesce into a cohesive aural assault. The track continually twists and changes, never allowing you a moment of complacency, ensuring your disorientation. It gradually dismantles itself back down into the original components before closing out with primitive battery.
If you feel like you need some respite from the pure rage of the preceding tracks, the glacial pace of closing track 'Sleep//Soars' is a welcome change, the gentle ebb and flow of atmospheric synth and shimmering guitar serving to highlight the sheer range this band are capable of. At the halfway point things take a turn into darker territory, an undercurrent of tension now present in the guitar, with some gently whispered vocals employed to chilling effect. It feels like it's building to something, but whatever that may be will need to wait until the next release.
Mære is an extremely promising release that demonstrates a willingness to stray far from the traditional templates of hardcore without losing one iota of intensity, and marks Old Skin as one of the most left-field bands operating on the fringes of the genre. Don't hesitate to pick up a copy from any of the three labels involved, and witness the beginning of something special.
