With the new wave of hardcore and metalcore that the scene has seen at the end of the last decade and the beginning of this one, there is a lot to sift through before you find some material with a shred of originality. Sure, bands are working with different elements here and there such as electronics, nu-metal influences, or other samples that attempt to push the band over the hill of mediocrity. Boston hardcore outfit Typecaste takes the concept of originality and throws it out the window. Despite the fact that the band doesn’t worry about uniqueness or non-comparative elements, the up-and-comers offer up four hard-hitting, aggressive, and unrelenting tunes on their new extended play Between Life.
“Memento Mori” offers the same amount of belligerency as one would hear from a Sanction or Knocked Loose song – the obvious influence from 90s Long Island hardcore is evident as the band shreds their way through the track. The strained yells from the vocalist also add a layer onto the band’s persona – they are not here to mess around, and their point is made quickly. “Traverse” continues the sonic onslaught that was brought before it, and has some extremely punishing breakdowns in the back half; the band tiptoes between hardcore and metalcore during this song and really shines in terms of trend-centric music. “Hypnagogic Hallucination” also showcases some dizzying passages where “chaos” can be the only word to describe what is happening between all of the instruments. “Under the Wreath” carries the same features as the three songs before it breaks into some clean vocals (layered with some more yells), which was unexpected, but the lyrics are almost haunting in a sense: “what you see is love” is repeated almost like a mantra until the end of the instrumentals fuzz out.
Overall, a twelve-minute runtime seemed perfect for this record; it captures the intensity of the overall concept Between Life is trying to convey (the spaces between life and death and the horrors that come with uncertainty and the unknown). The record does suffer from a lack of originality, but there can not be too many things done to hardcore music in general. If we want to look at this record as a homage to pioneers before this new wave such as Crowbar or Nothingface, then this was a very good addition to the growing catalog of nu-hardcore we have in 2020.
I give this record a 7.25 out of 10.
Listen to this whole record. It’s twelve minutes long and an exciting feel.
Typecaste will be opening for Vamachara, SeeYouSpaceCowboy… and Sanction from February 14th to March 21st across the United States. You can purchase tickets at sanction631.com.
Tracklisting:
- “Memento Mori”
- “Traverse”
- “Hypnagogic Hallucination”
- “Under the Wreath”