The Greenery. Naiveté? A lush garden? A grocery shop? Nope. Spit and Argue. Says it all really, doesn't it? A derelict blend of metal aggression and punk rock attitude, The Greenery's debut is rampant with testosterone-charged riffs, vein-in-the-middle-of-the-forehead popping vocals, and flawless concentrated drumbeats. After the grooving riff opener and pounding toms, the declaration that "we were born to lose" of the slow, pulverising title track leaves little room for interpretation, these guys have one or two things on their collective mind. 'Hollow Bodies', with its "We are all disciples / trying to find a better way / We are all disciples / desperate to get back these darkest days" chorus is a hardcore anthem in the waiting. 'Faceplant' is a rabid and rapid expulsion of punk-fuelled vehemence. The get-shitfaced-before-the-end-of-the-world '2012 Packs' captures the band's ability to combine hooks with rage and the need to party before this mortal coil is cast off or taken away, you choose. 'Dragged Beneath', 'Snakes and Rats' and 'Lowest' – "Sometimes I drink to fall asleep" – offer the kind of hardcore punk riffs that you've come to expect from the band by this time, hard and fast, like a crash course in quantum physics whilst loaded on booze and amphetamine. And 'Highest', taken in tandem with its downward counterpart, is the embodiment of rage, and – the one solitary downfall of the whole album – is so similar to 'Drag Beneath' that it can be difficult to tell them apart. Yet 'Tracker' and 'Crime Wave' both display a horde of hostility right up until the bitter end. Gruesomely gritty, a spit away from thrash, Spit and Argue is no re-invention of hardcore but is no less – possibly more – the punch in the face that's needed.
And if you like ire-driven hardcore such as The Greenery spew in yer face, you may wanna check out Elitist and Seven Sisters of Sleep for more of the same.
Track Listing:
- Spit & Argue
- Hollow Bodies
- Faceplant
- 2012 Packs
- Dragged Beneath
- Snakes And Rats
- Lowest
- Highest
- Tracker
- Crime Wave
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