Guile Self Worth cassette
Metallic hardcore out of Vancouver that mixes old school palm-muted thrash with raspy vocals. It’s not bad, but GUILE would probably sit comfortably in the middle of a local hardcore or metal bill—it’s not exactly groundbreaking. Lyrics range from the personal on “Barb Tarbox” to the geopolitcal on “Fukishima Gargler” (your requisite anti-nuclear song) and “Supremacy of Failures,” a track with a minute-thirty instrumental chugga chugga intro. “Hollow Gesture” is the best one here, with furious downbeats that quicken into a fast hardcore beat. The production is crystal clear with thick distorted bass tones and heavy guitar, but it ends up sounding a little polished. The vocals are delivered as near-blackened (toasted?) raspy snarls that are carefully delivered, but lack the chaos that bands of similar ilk like ZORN deliver. I’m curious what the band sounds like live, because the performance, while competently done, all sounds a bit restrained. Worth a listen for dyed-in-the-wool heshers.