Record of the Week: Suck Lords: True Lords Music 7"

Suck Lords: True Lords Music 7” (Edger) Ripping new 8-songer from this Portland band. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love that there are so many new hardcore bands inspired by the ripping fast sounds of classics like Koro, Deep Wound, and the Neos. Along with Nosferatu, U-Nix, and Alienation, Suck Lords have been exploring that sound for a few years now, making some of the most exciting hardcore records of the current era. While the tempos here can reach near-grindcore speeds, the difference between a band like Suck Lords and the local power violence band you show up late to miss is that Suck Lords can play and they can write songs. If you slowed any of the eight songs on True Lords Music down to a more reasonable tempo, they would still sound great. Songs like “Rat Bastard,” “Retalb,” and “Inbred” are all built around subtle and distinctive grooves, but played so fast that listening makes you feel like a wet sneaker getting tossed around in the dryer. Listening to this record is an absolute thrill, reminding me of how exciting it was to discover the aforementioned early 80s bands. Suck Lords writhe, squirm, and convulse through seven tracks, only slowing things down a hair for the closing “Dipshit,” which isn’t so much a hardcore dirge as the record’s lone mid-paced / mosh part. If you came to Sorry State today to find out what the best current hardcore is, look no further… add this to your cart and rage.