Mock Execution

Reviews

Mock Execution Rebels Without a Cause cassette

After delivering a blistering full-length last year (which I previously wrote about as one of my favourites of 2022), Chicago’s MOCK EXECUTION returns with four more blasts of damaging noise. The title track is the main highlight, a modern-day punk rocker anthem if there ever was one. Speeding and blasting away with mischievous delight, Rebels Without a Cause doesn’t quite measure up to the landmark Killed by Mock Execution LP, but it’s still a winner and gets a glowing recommendation from this reviewer. Since this cassette’s release, it’s been reissued on 7″ vinyl by La Vida Es Un Mus as the Circle of Madness EP (featuring one extra track)—go cop this ranger on whichever format you prefer!

Mock Execution Killed by Mock Execution LP

Chicago’s MOCK EXECUTION leaves no crust boxes unticked. Part UK traditional crust like DOOM or E.N.T., part Japanese crasher crust like GLOOM or GAI. Even though many bands follow this route in terms of style, MOCK EXECUTION seems to have developed their own distinct sound, with a brutal display of ferociousness throughout the nine songs that make up Killed by Mock Execution—and you will indeed be killed by this noise bomb.

Mock Execution Reality Attack EP

Pissed off raw punk from the streets of Chicago by way, at least in part, of Singapore! Anchored by Thalib (of such Singapore luminaries as VAARALLINEN, SNÄGGLETOOTH, CHARGED C.B.H. and DAILY RITUAL), MOCK EXECUTION are another excellent addition to his already brilliant resume. The heart of the sound is early Finnish hardcore with all the quirks of tempo and delivery that entails, but there isn’t a slavish devotion to one particular band or even the style as a whole. Short, frantic solos are scattered throughout, a particular highlight being the one that ends “Protest Is A Way of Life” while mostly-barked vocals are augmented by group choruses. The recording is just right, a little boom-y and raw—perfect ’80s vintage sound that is especially appropriate for the closing KAAOS cover. Silk-screened covers and a very cut-and-paste aesthetic complete the package. Killer.