Those that know me personally know that I have an affinity for a great deal of Wilkes-Barre hardcore.
From the legacies of Cold World to War Hungry to Bad Seed, and more; I’ve always liked what comes out of that gray mountain town.
With the release of Worn’s new record, Human Work, it looks like I’ll be adding a new band to the lexicon of WBHC that I have a taste for.
Upon my first listen of the record, I thought “Yes, actual hardcore.”
I wouldn’t classify this album as metallic hardcore, '80s revival, metalcore, crust, or any other microgenre; this is a capital H Hardcore record.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t microgenre influences on here though.
You can tell Worn listen to power violence or power violence-influenced bands, but at it’s base it’s just a badass hardcore album.
The biggest influence I can glean from the entire piece is Think I Care. I know a great deal of people that laud Think I Care as one of their favorite hardcore bands, so if TIC is what you are looking for, I would check this album out.
The vocals are my favorite part, they’re very strong and practiced. There’s a certain aspect about them that just seems natural. They aren’t weird or distinct in a way that makes them “particular," but they sound genuine and hard.
My second favorite aspect is the guitar tone. It’s a familiar tone that sounds potentially obscure for the speed and middle of the road nature of the hardcore played here, but it fits and enhances what’s going on.
I encourage everyone reading this to listen to this record a couple times. It clocks in pretty short, so this should not be a difficult undertaking.
I believe “Public Execution" is my favorite track, along with “Paint the Corpse."
Take this for a spin and then run into a wall for the prime effect.
Get It
- From Within Records (Vinyl)
- Bandcamp (Digital)
Tagged: worn
