Destroyed by Madness

REASON TO LEAVE Edge Of A Knife Horn & Hoof (14/07/23) Skate-punk maestros Reason To Leave drop a sub-two minute melodic banger with new single Edge Of A Knife. The second offering from their upcoming summer EP finds the RTL boys once again mining the catchy end of 90s punk rock for inspiration, but injecting more than enough of their own personality into the affair to produce a killer single full of sharp hooks. Fizzing guitar opens the show, rallying at full pelt against double-time drums with a rising riff that slips into a melodic turnaround before circling back on itself. The slinky bass grooves away neatly behind the beat, adding a counterpoint to the thrash of the guitars and the racing rhythms.    Vocalist Mike Erb joins the party as guitars pull back to staccato stabs, leaving space for a clean and melodic delivery that rails against the confines and contentment of modern life.  It’s 100mph across the chorus, with a neat pause on the song’s titular lyric that...

SNAKES AMONG US ‘7’ EP Self-Release (07/07/23) If speedy hardcore with introspective lyrics and an unforgiving intensity is your thing, the debut EP from Snakes Among Us is an absolute must listen. Featuring seven songs and released on the 7th day of the 7th month, the appropriately titled ‘7’ builds on the sonic template laid out in last year’s Demo by amping up the production values without losing an ounce of the raw, potent venom found at their live show. And if speedy hardcore isn’t your thing… Snakes have the bite to make you reconsider your musical choices. A Home Alone sample precedes the furious statement of intent that is opening track Leeches, but there’s certainly no family-friendly themes to be found across the EP’s 12-minute duration. Peeling back the layers of brutal hardcore sonics unveils a dark lyrical thread that details internal struggle and self-loathing in honest fashion. It’s heavy stuff, reaching six-feet down on Isolated: I’ll shed my skin, I’ll gouge my eyes, A...