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.