Bastions is a hardcore/rock band from the North of Wales. After their amazing full length release Hospital Corners in 2011, they are now back with the first of a 2-part EP called Bedfellows Part 1: The Bastard Son.
What makes this release very interesting is that besides the at times blistering chaotic hardcore sound, Bastions also tell a story throughout this conceptual EP. The story is a sad one based in the 1950’s where a mother of a family miscarriages on her third child, buries the remains in the garden to then walk into the sea, not coming back, leaving a husband and two teenage children behind. The father can’t deal with the loss of his wife and can’t look after his two children, thinks they inherited their mother’s madness, while they were actually mourning the loss of their mother, and the father decided to put the children in long term juvenile care. “This is their story. Their story must be told”.
The real strength of this EP lies in the opening track ‘Pallor’ and closing track ‘Amongst Crows’. ‘Pallor’ starts with a clean sounding delayed guitar intro, which goes on for around 50 seconds before the rest of the band kick in, building onto a slow grinder of a song. The singer sounds angry, but also very emotional. It is a great opening track, which makes you want to listen to more as you’re wondering where this will go from here.
Well, to blistering fast and aggressive hardcore in the next two tracks ‘With Love’ and ‘Life Less Lived’, which burst full of energy and fast up-tempo drumming and riffing. It makes me want to go straight into the nearest circle pit!
Then we get to the closing track ‘Amongst Crows’, which is with nearly 4 minutes the longest track on this EP. It is a beautiful piece of music, starting with slow rhythmic drumming and gentle played delayed guitar chords, similar to the EP intro. Then the singer creates this emotional screaming tornado for a couple of bars, before everything falls slower and quieter again. And the whole thing builds up again, working towards a big climatic finale.
Bedfellows Part 1: The Bastard Son is a great combination of 4 tracks, telling a sad story, over some technically great played, almost progressive, hardcore. I can’t wait for Bedfellows Part 2 to listen how the story ends.
