PARCH - Hell in These Eyes

Tired of all the cute fall posts littering your feed? Need something heavy and haunting to get you in the mood for Halloween? Well look no further than the new release by PARCH. New Jersey’s noise boys are back at it with another grinding EP entitled Hell in These Eyes, and it roars louder than a chainsaw in a slasher film.

Recorded in a live setting, Hell in These Eyes manages to stamp the chaotic essence of PARCH onto tape. Between my headphones is a band raging in a room, the cymbals denting as the drumsticks smash into them, the squeal of feedback through distortion pedals and blaring speakers. The vocals are throaty and furious and near impossible to pin down. Yet this is the charm of PARCH—tight performances that sound as unruly as a barfight—a charm Hell in These Eyes captures in all its frenetic glory.

The four songs that make up this EP are aggressively raw in all the right ways. “Foretold” ends so abruptly it sounds like an abandoned take. “Sunnydale” rides growling power chords and a headbanging beat, while “Alligator” dredges the waters with blast beats and mud-drenched bass. The lyrics on this record are so sarcastically nihilistic; “Clear” screams itself into existence with the line “Wake up every day with a gun to my head,” while the tape ends with devolving howls of “This town is a hole” over a collapsing band. The sonics of Hell in These Eyes are pure sludge, vicious wet death coughs of vitriol and reckless abandon.

Though less than ten minutes in length, Hell in These Eyes keeps me riled for hours. The music of PARCH hits like a shot of adrenaline, and leaves me jonesing for another fix as soon as the last song ends. Hell in These Eyes raises hell in the ears, so maybe hell ain’t such a bad place to be.

My Top Track: "Clear"

Hell in These Eyes is out on Wet Cassettes; you can also grab a copy off their Bandcamp page.

Reconstitute - S/T

Since its inception, punk rock has had a political backbone. It has been a virulent voice against injustice, calling out the hatred and bigotry that the rest of our society tries to keep out of sight. In today’s world of regular school shootings, blatant institutional racism, and public displays of intolerance and hatred, this voice is as important as ever, and I’m glad to say, as loud as ever. Just take the self-titled EP by Reconstitute, a collection of heavy-hitting tunes from a band that refuse to stand silently by and watch the world burn.

The instrumentation on Reconstitute is riotous and utterly unforgiving in its energy. The overdriven guitars roar, low chords rumbling next to screeching highs. The drummer pounds his kit into oblivion, each cymbal crash hitting like a brick crashing through a pristine window. The bass guitar is an earthquake, blasting fuzzy lows and searing melodic lines into the ears. Above the chaos are the vicious shouted vocals, each scream a rallying cry that concentrates every element into a sonic punch of punk.

The thrashing strings and thumping drums on Reconstitute could almost generate their own electricity with how much vigor lies behind them, yet it is the lyrics that shape this energy into a tool of change. Reconstitute wields their words against those unjust and insane systems erected to oppress, spearheaded by the madman sitting in the Oval Office. Both “Dear America” and “Treaty” aim themselves directly at Trump’s inherent hypocrisy with lines like “This man doesn’t have your interests in mind / Just his bottom line,” while “Repeal and Replace” virulently addresses the destructive policies he is spearheading such as the infinitely-rising prices of healthcare. Reconstitute pulls no punches with their self-titled debut, instead sharpening their lyrics in poignant razors to hack at the injustices facing the American people.

Though it barely breaks six minutes, Reconstitute is an absolutely relentless, fearless release. From the opening feedback of “Dear America” to the hammering coda hits of “Digging for Coal,” each second of this record is rife with punk passion and hardcore intensity. Reconstitute takes the corruption of our country to task with their self-titled release, a blatant statement that bigotry and injustice will never be tolerated no matter where or when they rear their ugly mugs.

My Top Track: "Dear America"

Reconstitute is a project of the prolific and talented N.E. Hertzberg; follow him on Facebook for updates including news and upcoming shows. Then head over to Spotify to listen to Reconstitute or even grab a limited-run tape (courtesy of Crass Lips Records) from their Bandcamp page.