Dry Socket Shiver cassette
Scathing and brutal hardcore out of Portland, Oregon that delivers an impressive wall of unflinching attitude. The record label described it as “unapologetic,” which initially sounded to me like kind of a generic punk descriptor—like, when have punks ever been apologetic (with the exception of Milwaukee’s chronically unsung the APOLOGETICS)? But, it turns out I agree that DRY SOCKET really drips with whatever it is that is the opposite of an apology. There’s plenty to love here with the heaviest of breakdowns, occasional weird guitar riffs, and experimental timing. But the real gem is the hurricane-force vocals, steeped in such a thick concentration of fury that they are legitimately kind of terrifying, an effect that keeps growing the more times I listen through.