B.O.R.N.: 8 Tracks 12″

Description

8 new tracks on a one-sided 12″ from this raw punk band from Alabama. FFO Disclose, Physique.

Our take: Alabama d-beaters B.O.R.N. have been kicking around for several years, and while weve carried a couple of their tapes at Sorry State, I believe this one-sided 12 is their debut vinyl (I say I believe because B.O.R.N.s online presence is spotty they have a Bandcamp, but I cant find a page for them on Discogs). On an earlier tape, B.O.R.N. revealed their name stands for belligerent onslaught of relentless noise, and if that doesnt tell you what they sound like, listening to about five seconds of music will show you B.O.R.N.s style lies firmly in the Disclose / Physique end of raw d-beat hardcore. However, B.O.R.N. has their own take on the genre that makes them stand out in the glut of bands plying this style. First, while a lot of similar bands (including Physique) go for a piercing, trebly tone in their recordings, B.O.R.N. has opted on this record for a warm recording that sounds very organic, more like the earliest Disclose releases than the more brittle, later-era Disbones releases. While the sound is not as harsh, its no less intense or aggressive, and the recording style really highlights B.O.R.N.s strong ensemble playing. Im not sure if B.O.R.N. tracked these songs live, but it sounds like they did, and its a welcome contrast to the more industrial-sounding recordings a lot of noisy d-beat bands go for nowadays. B.O.R.N.s other key strengthand this is something I called out when I wrote about one of their previous tapesis the lead guitar playing. Since the riffs are so straightforward in this style, the leads are where a guitarists personality can really shine. B.O.R.N.s guitarist doesnt really do the nuclear rain style with lots of hammer-ons, but something more like Boness leads in Discharge, an intuitive style where the guitar is wielded like a rusty shiv in a prison fight and might erratically change direction or approach at any second. Its totally thrilling. While B.O.R.N.s 12 might not be the loudest, fastest, noisiest, or meanest d-beat record youve ever heard, theres more than enough personality and energy here to get any self-respecting crustys fist in the air.

• Label: self-released
• Format Type: 12″
• Genre: hardcore
• Year: 2026