Only two shows into their career and already cementing a reputation most bands take years to generate, Coerce definitely have their shit together. Featuring members of Soft White Machine, Mere Theory, Day I Die and Full Frontal Lobotomy, there's a lot of expectation behind their pedigree. While the two songs here don't really cover the breadth of influences at play in the band's live show, it's a solid introduction to their manically energetic hardcore sound. The first track, Mannered Hand, shows a strong influence from bands like Refused, cutting up the beat and developing some great twists and turns. The song has plenty of time to build and play with its themes, both lyrical and musical, covering a lot of ground and showing some great structured songwriting.
Hotel Addiction begins with a similar energy, moving into really interesting territory as some of those great progressions, reminiscent of guitarist Karl Roberts' Soft White Machine days pepper the brutally hard breaks. While it's easy to put names to the influences here - These Arms Are Snakes and The Bronx certainly come to mind - this is only a jumping off point for the guys as the songs build and show a strong sense of individuality in the nuances. It's a damn fine place to be starting from, and judging by the newer, more developed songs in their live set it's only going to get better by the time they finish work on the album, already in progress. Keep an eye on these guys, it's going to get crazy.
Only two shows into their career and already cementing a reputation most bands take years to generate, Coerce definitely have their shit together. Featuring members of Soft White Machine, Mere Theory, Day I Die and Full Frontal Lobotomy, there's a lot of expectation behind their pedigree. While the two songs here don't really cover the breadth of influences at play in the band's live show, it's a solid introduction to their manically energetic hardcore sound. The first track, Mannered Hand, shows a strong influence from bands like Refused, cutting up the beat and developing some great twists and turns. The song has plenty of time to build and play with its themes, both lyrical and musical, covering a lot of ground and showing some great structured songwriting.
