Yahweh Brings Us To This Hell

Every time I head up to Buffalo, I always end up going to someone's basement and seeing a million new bands that spring up and often times dissolve just as often. That city is without a doubt my favorite breeding ground for excellent bands in New York. Bands of all sorts, but of course I pay attention to the grittier stuff. The hardcore bands that come out of Buffalo always seem to have this unique, quirky edge to them. Sperm, an astonishingly good noisy/weirdo hardcore band, who I have in fact never seen and probably never will since they appear to be over. Only releasing one demo last year, and this cassette EP way early in the year, and ending on a Top 10 of the year high note. "Yahweh Brings Us To This Hell", cassette, no idea how many there are.

Sperm (awesome name), are an unusual little sore thumb in their particular genre. Definitely hardcore, that root is certainly firmly in place. The blown-out, noisy recording utilized is definitely fitting, and adds a constant layer of roughness to the music, even when the band is at their most soft. Amazing guitar tone, utilizing a delicious distorted trembelo effect. This added bit of sound makes simple things like feedback seem all the more twisted. The bass guitar, fully up front in the mix, it's the meat of this EP. Clangy, gainy, crushing.

"Yahweh's" first half is of the more traditional hardcore sound. Hard and semi metallic, with excellent, acid surf guitar riffs and leads. Certainly the kind of riffs that you have to search for to find in hardcore. The 2nd half is where Sperm really shows off their dynamics as songwriters. "Animal Life In The Demlurge", a song consisting of only a single bass riff and vocals, creating a very captivating and even beautiful sort of "ballad". Leading into the closing track, "Hyperporea", an instrumental sweetie pie of a song. I call the opening guitar lead the "Linkin Park riff". For some reason is just always reminds me of something from "Hybrid Theory" or some shit. Sperm are cooler then Linkin Park, I swear. Both of these sides of this bands sound are executed perfectly in my opinion. This has been on repeat in the household and on the Walkman during bus rides.

I've seen this around in distros. If you see it, cop it.

~VII