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ATOMIC PREY’s debut is a total psychedelic d-beat smasher that amplifies the overstimulation, disorientation and emotional extremity of modern life - a debilitating HELL. Fourteen feedback soaked minutes of inspired, hard-hitting noisepunk tackling years of chronic illness, death, demons, poverty, PTSD and inherited ancestral anxiety. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but out of that darkness comes a release that ignites crazed inner energy and anarcho aggression by a band committed to each other and committed to pushing beyond convention. Just the way we like it.
Our take: Iron Lung Records brings us the debut release from this new Portland band, which they aptly describe as “a total psychedelic d-beat smasher.” While the phased-out noise guitar and heavy delay on the vocals are definitely giving psych, to me what feels more psychedelic about Atomic Prey is the way this EP takes you on this crazy journey. It’s very brief—six songs in 14 minutes—but Atomic Prey touches on a lot of hardcore punk sub-styles here, from full-on crasher crust pounding to brooding and organic anarcho rhythms, to driving pogo-punk, galloping d-beat, ENT-influenced chaos, and beyond. While Atomic Prey is pretty much always in full-bore attack mode, these subtle variations keep things from falling into a rut, making it feel as though the energy level is constantly spiking. On the surface, there seem to be no dynamics here at all because it’s all so harsh and noisy, but there’s so much happening in these songs in terms of tempo, rhythm, and atmosphere that each one feels like it contributes something unique to the record. A real scorcher.
- Label: Iron Lung Records
- Format Type: 12"
- Genre: hardcore
- Year: 2024