Bad Batch: Demo cassette

Description

Our take: 6-track demo from this new hardcore band out of Cleveland. While, according to one of their song titles, Bad Batch thinks Cleveland Sucks, they sound (at least to my ears) very much like a band from that city. First, the vocals have the snotty, nihilistic vibe of bands like H100s and Gordon Solie Motherfuckers. Secondand this is a subtler pointits always seemed from my (outsider) perspective that Cleveland has a uniquely high degree of cross-pollination between people into straight edge hardcore and people into Japanese hardcore and crust. Or maybe Im just thinking of Tony Erba? Anyway, Bad Batchs rhythms remind me of Chain of Strengths fast parts; the beats are more like doot-dat-doot-doot-dat (as opposed to the dunk-dat-dunka-dat of d-beat a very subtle difference). The riffs arent too far away from that sound either, but they also sound kind of crusty; the crusty thing comes out even more when the wah-wah lead guitar parts drop in. I feel like Im getting in the weeds here, so Ill redirect your attention to the fact that Bad Batch is very much part of Clevelands long tradition of anti-social hardcore punk bands and leave it to you to investigate further.