Nosferatu: Solution A 12” (Todo Destruido / Media Disease) Much-anticipated debut LP from this Texas hardcore band. When I first listened to Solution A I thought to myself, “is this band all hype and no substance?” The production is murky and the songs fly by so fast that I couldn’t process what was going on. However, remembering how much I liked their earlier stuff I persisted, and after a few listens I’ve concluded that Solution A is Nosferatu’s defining statement. Yes, the production is murky and the playing is loose, but those elements don’t detract from the record’s power. In fact, the grimy, tattered sound of this record seems like the perfect presentation for the distorted and fractured nature of the songs themselves. Like their heroes Koro, Nosferatu’s hardcore is twisted and rent, all unexpected angles awkward corners. Their drummer does this Koro-esque thing where he goes into a roll—usually what happens at a transition point—but instead of moving into another beat, the roll is only part of a dramatic series of punches. I’m sure a drummer could describe what I’m talking about more accurately, but it’s a technique I could listen to all day. This time around Nosferatu has also added a touch of Die Kreuzen-esque gloom on tracks like the brilliant “The Act of Fear” and even slide toward death rock on “Dictated in Red” and “Life of Murder.” Nosferatu could have delivered a debut album of fast, powerful, yet by-the-book hardcore, but Solution A is something different—and much better—than that.