Here's some fast and energetic hardcore/punk from this rather young looking Swedish band that ranges from fast and pissed to subtly melodic and catchy, all with straight up yelling vocals that sound a little different from the norm and add to the general sense of angry yet fun attitude that the band has going on. "Thrashlife" heads in more of an old school hardcore direction and throws in just a hint of melody at the start, "Spela Snabbare" is a straightforward yet memorable hardcore track, "In Front of the Machine" is a touch heavier and closes on a strong note with a faint hint of a crust edge, and the other cuts are basically tried and true hardcore/punk without a ton of variety. They get the job done and have a good time, you know? The recording is pretty damn good, and the bass tone definitely sounds awesome and adds a lot of density. The guitars could stand to be a touch heavier or more balanced against the vocals, but for the most part everything sounds quite good for this style, and even the fastest areas of tracks like "Du Skiter I Mig" don't get too messy. The 7" comes in a standard sleeve with orange and black printing that depicts the band members hovering over some buildings and some horror/sci-fi characters doing the same on the back cover. Inside is a matte black and white insert with handwritten text presenting the lyrics - which are a mix of snotty Swedish and English attacks on day to day bullshit: These dudes like skateboarding, thrashing, and telling people to fuck off! Hey, they did name their band after a 1989 Troma horror flick, after all! Not a bad EP, which is possibly their debut? Fans of fast hardcore that want to have a good time rather than stressing about overly serious socio-political issues should look into this one. They're definitely nodding to the classics while kind of doing their own thing in a way that keeps them from sounding like one of those rehashed bands that's trying to leech off of retro trends, so that's a good sign.
[Cage Match Federation]
Running time - 10:00 (approximately), Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Thrashlife, Spela Snabbare, In Front of the Machine]
Cage Match Federation - http://www.wastedsounds.com
