Pissed Regardless – Imperial Cult

Label: Creator-Destructor Records
Release Date: 18/10/2019

Pissed Regardless – If you listen to music regularly, enough to have a semblance of “taste” (you plebe) then you will inevitably have genres you are somewhat drawn to but can’t really mesh with. You try, you check out new releases, popular bands, but it just doesn’t fit. But then, you blindly stumble onto an album that, despite being categorized in this genre, grips you by the throat and never lets go.

To me, Pissed Regardless’ first full-length, Imperial Cult, is that album.

Pissed Regardless play a variant of metallic hardcore. Imperial Cult‘s main ingredients are simple: you have your burly, stomping, somewhat chuggy hardcore and punk riffs playing hooky with thick bass. Sturdy drumming grounds the sounds rhythmic components and aids in its impact. The bow is tied by the hardcore punk screams for vocals spewing pure rage at the state of the world we live in.

Now this sounds like the Hardcore Band Starter Kit, I know, but there is more to it than that. Sure, you have your purer numbers like Dichotomy or Maniacal, but the album refuses to limit itself with just that. For one thing, the album’s hardcore underpinnings are delivered with many twists and turns throughout. For example, Bleeder (and to a lesser degree, Castrated) stands out with its unmistakably post-hardcore leanings; Behold a Pale Horse has subtle touches of death metal sprinkled in; All Bets Are Off is heavier on the punk and so on. This allows Imperial Cult to be wonderfully varied, engaging and able to keep your interest almost effortlessly.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the last track, Hell’s Coming With Me is what I mean when I say your closer should leave the audience wanting more.

The feeling resonating throughout Imperial Cult is one of seizure-inducing anger. Any moron can write a halfway-socially conscious song – it takes more than just empty posturing to make the contents genuine. Pissed Regardless manage to pull this off with (thank God) tight and on-point production. Rather than relying on “raw” (sic) production values as a crutch (no disrespect to those who genuinely make it part of their package) they bolster a cleaner sound and instead let their music do the raging. It’s a welcome break from bags of bricks, I’ll tell ya that much.

All-in-all, I think Pissed Regardless have come out swinging and they’ve come out strong. Imperial Cult is a very well-put together, tight as a garrote album (including its runtime!) that entices, engages, stomps and rages. Very highly recommended.

Line-Up:
Matt – vocals
Sean – guitars
Chris – guitars
Taylor – bass
Tim – Drums

01. Three Decades
02. Halls of Hate
03. Bleeder
04. Dark Disciple
05. Behold a Pale Horse
06. Dichotomy
07. All Bets Are Off
08. Castrated
09. Maniacal
10. Hell’s Coming With Me

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