Over the past few months I have been listening to a lot of hardcore from a lot of different places all over the world. I have noticed that each city and various suburbs in different countries do their own style of hardcore and there are no rules. It’s quite refreshing to listen to bands that fall under a certain genre, but couldn’t care less about the “rules” and strive for their own unique sound.
Enter hardcore outfit Empire of Rats! The Columbus, Ohio based death dealers set to release their malicious and vindictive self-titled full-length on the 1st of October via A389 Recordings. As a collective the bands pedigree speaks volumes of their skill and mastery of their craft. The band members have done time in various other bands such as Palehorse, Under One Flag and Pitboss 2000 to name but a few. The culmination of all this produces a style of hardcore that isn’t just heavy, but crushing, from start to finish! Empire of Rats have their own unique blend of brutality, heaviness and just straight up relentlessness that makes it sound absolutely fantastic.
The variety within the tracks makes for a truly enjoyable record, as it is very unpredictable in combination with its energy and aggressiveness. It really does remind me of Terror, but not to such an extent that I would say it’s tough guy hardcore like Hatebreed, but I could definitely see fans of the afore mentioned bands getting into this. This record will provide the kind of hardcore that turns a normal mosh pit into a bloody hurricane of limps, sweat, tears and the odd front tooth.
So for those of you who like to fuck shit up, Empire of Rats’ self-titled debut full-length will have you swinging fists and breaking furniture in your living room. I would highly recommend it to those of you who like Terror, Ringworm, Hatebreed, 100 Demos, Cold As Life and Homewrecker! This record is an absolute gem! It’s hateful, brutal and crushes like a run-away cement truck, GET THIS RECORD!
