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Released on November 4, 2014 via Brutal Panda Records
Brevity is the soul of hardcore, and Philadelphia’s Ladder Devils know it. Offering a succinct variation on a familiar sound à la Shellac and Drive Like Jehu, the noisy quartet slings gritty, punk-hearted anthems that refuse to overstay their welcome. At a trim 31 minutes, the group’s first full-length, the incendiary Clean Hands, burns dirty and loud.
Though they are just now releasing their first proper record, Ladder Devils are no strangers to Philadelphia’s robust music scene. Since its formation in 2009, the group has put out several EPs, as well as splits with partners-in-sound Helms Alee, Kowloon Walled City and Fight Amp. And before Ladder Devils were a thing, guitarist Timothy Leo and bassist/vocalist Matt Leo played in the hardcore act Minor Times. All that time together is apparent in the band’s 2014 chemistry.
On record, that chemistry yields tight, forceful songs. Clean Hands opens with ‘Remember the Tooth’, a stage-setting brawler that throws punchy hooks between guitar scrapes and caustic bass. Drummer Mike Howard gives a no-frills battering to the kit, and vocalists Matt Leo and Eric Haag deploy snide one-liners like “You, you’re a bottomless hole // You’re digging yourself”. The words might be typical punk snarl, but their delivery enthralls. As with most tracks here, ‘Remember the Tooth’ works at a mid-tempo pace slow enough to exhibit structural density, but fast enough to bruise.
Brevity does not necessitate simplicity—just look at the best albums by Converge or the Pixies, both purveyors of songwriting concision. Ladder Devils haven’t reached these heights quite yet, but they are definitely onto something. The album’s strongest moments, like the circular ‘Scabby’ and the lay-you-flat closer ‘Dumb Jokes’, highlight each player’s personalities within unique song constructions. And with a nuanced recording job by Fight Amp’s Steve Poponi, every detail on this detailed collection gets its moment. While Clean Hands may ultimately run shorter than discerning listeners would like, it never runs short on ideas.
