Record of the Week: Invertebrates: Sick to Survive LP

Invertebrates: Sick to Survive 12" (Beach Impediment Records) Longtime Sorry State followers may remember that we (re-) released the demo cassette from this Richmond band back in 2022, and now they’re back with their debut vinyl on Beach Impediment Records. Invertebrates’ live lineup features three members who also play in Public Acid, but their straightforward hardcore sound differs from Public Acid’s noise-drenched, metal-infused crunch-and-rip. Instead, Invertebrates remind me of the mid-aughts glory years of retro 80s hardcore, when the most exciting bands were casting off the excesses and evolutions of 90s hardcore and stripping the genre back to its bones. There’s nothing indulgent on Sick to Survive, which is all blistering riffs and brisk beats. At the same time, though, these are veteran musicians and there’s an undeniable sense of craftsmanship and musicality giving shape to the onslaught. The complex yet fluid riffing reminds me of the fastest Career Suicide and Government Warning tracks, but whereas those bands broke up their records with the occasional moment where melody took precedence over speed, Invertebrates basically never let their foot off the gas, blazing through these ten tracks with nary a chance to catch your breath. Besides the blisteringly hooky riffing that sits at the center of their sound, Invertebrates are masters of arranging their songs for maximum impact, with brief tempo changes (not breakdowns... an important distinction) and passages with broken, staccato drum patterns giving the songs an ebb and flow without ever giving the impression they’re slowing down or slacking off. Their vocalist Max’s classic hardcore bark is also great, keeping things aggro with the melody lurking just below the surface for the true heads to appreciate. You don’t need me to tell you how good Sick to Survive is, though... this record seemed to hit the internet like a battering ram the day it came out, and audiences are universally blown away. So give it a listen and join the party.