VICIOUS INSTINCT-Demo review by Mark J. FFO: Violent, metallic hardcore beatdown.

 

VICIOUS INSTINCT-Demo review by Mark J. FFO: Violent, metallic hardcore beatdown, no mess, no fuss.

Fuck yes, about fucking time that an Aussie band did beatdown hardcore proper, by that I mean the younger bands are energetic and full of beans; but it in Australia falls flat and generally sounds lame. And these bands come and go so quick, just a lovely trend for the fake arse lads to jump on. Xile from across the water in NZ get the vibe and has always done things perfectly. Now we have experienced heads joining the mighty 1054 Record family and this is seriously the best demo I have heard in years. At its very core is a metallic hardcore vibe stemming from Merauder, No Zodiac, Irate, God's Hate etc vibes, but very much in the Laid 2 Rest style pocket, also Moment of Truth, Bulldoze and Cold Hard Truth. So we are talking abrasive, acid-in-your-face vocals and riffs, aggressive song structure and all about hardcore brutal, face-kicking shit. This is so epic and hard AF.

  (PIC OF BEN FROM TAKEN BY FORCE)
Vicious Instinct is a brand new Metallic Hardcore band from Newcastle, Australia featuring ex-members of TAKEN BY FORCE, these guys know how to produce some brutally heavy Hardcore just the way we love it so check out this killer demo & prepare for more in the coming months !!!

Only minimal information exists about this band atm, but if you have heard and seen Taken By Force, you know you are guaranteed to be pleased. They existed between 2008-2018 and crushed almost every band around at the time, except maybe Mindsnare (an Australian HC institution and unbeatable), every release was fast, tough arsed old-school hardcore of the finest quality. Vicious Instinct takes this perfect formula and to my ears even improves it, upping the ante on their previous slight beatdown influence to the mix. This release is sick and will get every listener keen for a full album and live shows. Ben and Tom show their experience and whoever else is in this band are tight and laser-focused absolute professionals, as it sounds sharp and powerful.

(V)I-ntroduction is the opener as it states it most definitely sets it off and wow it certainly kicks off with such monstrous and thick riffs and vocals like shattered glass in your head. The tempo is fast and this shows what this band is all about, no BS no trends just tough-arse hardcore. Welcome to the hell pit!!!. Built to Last is equally as fierce, but has more tough technical free beatdown grooves in a cool Shattered Realm style, breakdowns/robust drums/bass and bitter riffs. This release deserves to be dished out live with an ambulance nearby. It's definitely all about the aggro, but rest assured every single track is well written, and it maximises the impact by excellent riffs and subtle(yes hard to believe for this genre) changes in the drums or riffs that make every track be absolute rock solid. And Ben's vocals have always been the top of the hardcore heap in Australia. Taste My Sin builds on all of Taken By Force's metallic cred and adds almost some death metal touches to the killer soundscapes and hows the main riffs-what a dirty masterpiece of guitar work. Even goes slightly Slayer as well, always a bonus for decent music heads. This is one of many highlights and lyrically is malevolent and cuts hard.

Born 2 Die kicks off the second half of this hectic EP and has that vile riff-work that lets you know this is going to be an absolute journey of a song. Again the riffs and vocals are front and centre as expected, and I fucking worshipped the tempo changes and the darker tone on this track. So fucking heavy and gritty, something truly missing in most current Aussie hardcore bands, less of the trendy shit and more of this hellscape, please. The cool thing about this demo/EP is bit by bit you feel the tracks are getting heavier and heavier, and the riffs are literally slicing pieces off you. Every track is incredible, but the last three tracks are absolute beasts. 
Vicious Instinct is one street-savvy beast of a track and dishes out the treatment on rats and fakes big time, again terrific musicianship mixed with a solid focus on resonating bass/drums and dominating riffs. This is the most Euro-centric beatdown vibe on this, with chilling and brutal guitar magic and harsh vocals. This is slightly more engaging than the other tracks, it has a slight Jesus Piece style in it also. Again a super skilled band dropping a brilliant demo. Victim Mentality won't win over the PC-friendly hardcore nerds, but I loved this and this was my fave track by a mile. The message is as strong as the commanding music and even has a slight Pantera or Sepultura vibe to it, it leaves you wanting to do violent revenge on every internet troll that has no spine. A magnificent and super memorable track of 
and one hell of a way to close out your first release.

Stay tuned on what this band does, because this is one killer demo from a band that will no doubt put out some classic releases!

Out now:

Bandcamp :
https://1054records.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2023

Get antisocial here:
https://www.instagram.com/vicious_instinct/

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