By Kat Preston
Released through Six Feet Under Records (Vinyl), Marked For Death Records (CD)
Agitator are definitely not the sweethearts of the current hardcore scene, but with an in your face heavy-hitting sound like this, you can't really ignore these guys. The long awaited LP Bleak is finally out and I'm still doing silly dances over it despite it arriving on my doorstep almost two weeks ago.
Initially the best way to describe the impact of this record would be a string of expletives, but as that's not really constructive so I'll spare you that. But on a serious note, I'm considering myself musically winded. Wading in like an angry bouncer wielding a lead pipe you're not getting away from this one unscathed. They've never been a band for lowering you gently into their releases, but it's almost as if they're fighting you off from the outset- which is what has always set these guys apart from the crowd for me. And to quote their Twitter directly "3 things we will never be associated with: fast parts, standard tuning, and positivity" So, if you're not a one for all the PMA meecrob, then these guys are definitely up your street.
The spot on re-recordings of 'Contempt' and 'RJW' from the 2009 demo bring a touch of familiarity to what is essentially a new, much more evolved sound and also provides a little mix up in the general striding pace of the record. Continuing to crush with 'Broken Bonds', Bleak is beginning to render me lost for words. I like hardcore, and I will admit a lot of it sounds the same these days, but this is just fresh. It's taking a different stance on an accustomed sound that just rings true with me. 'Concrete Opinions' (featuring Justice Tripp of Trapped Under Ice notoriety) sets forth a sentiment anyone in this internet age can relate to "I'd rather stand alone, Than stand to listen to you talk about what you don't know… The truth is not always black and white".
If this doesn't make you want too punch everyone in existence in the neck, then, well, you're not listening to it loud enough. Brash negi-hardcore is sometimes exactly what you need at the end of a long day- and this record really is it.
FFO: Bracewar, Cruel Hand, Trapped Under Ice
