Kevlar Upper Kevlar Upper demo cassette
Caveman hardcore from California somewhere between a palate cleanse and a pressure wash, KEVLAR UPPER tips their hat to notions of “mystery,” presentation-wise, but not so much that I can’t highlight the presence of dudes from WORLD PEACE, COMPASSION, ULTRAS, and Fear the Walking Dead—as in the TV show, not some band naming themselves after it. Spenser Granese is the guy adding to the long if intermittent crossover history of hardcore punk and acting, and I think it’s him on vocals for these five songs. Charging out the gate with borderline powerviolence intensity—in the ballpark of someone like VACCINE—the five-piece goes slower and longer for “Shackle,” which is kinda like a weightlifter’s version of TOTAL ABUSE. A fine example of the sort of thing it is.