Laughing Corpse

Reviews

Laughing Corpse Beyond Recognition EP

Easily my favorite hardcore release so far this year. A lot of bands claim an ’80s hardcore sound, but LAUGHING CORPSE delivers that and more. The VOID and BLACK FLAG comparisons are inevitable; just listen to the breakdown riff of “Nothing” and try to argue otherwise. But that’s how they get you. You’re a couple tracks in, it rips, you dig it. You think you’re in safe and familiar territory, and then bam! They blindside you with a cacophony of noisy guitar solos and drum fills that puncture your jugular and rip it wide open. What I really love about this record is that it feels dangerous. It twists and turns, it follows you in the dark, and it laughs as you bleed out. If I were a kid, I’d be scared to death to see them live, and that is a compliment of the highest order.

Laughing Corpse Demented Thoughts Posed as Dark Comedy cassette

DC hardcore that sounds like the best of that city’s punk pedigree. Four short songs in about five minutes that rip with tight bass/drums, solid guitar work, and intelligible vocals. The first three tracks sound like well-made DCHC that could have been on an ’80s Dischord comp, while the final track “Demented Thoughts” stretches out with textural, flanged-out, overlapping solos and screams, lending itself to a much darker sound. Strong release for traditional hardcore hounds.