The Massacred: Nightmare Agitators 12″

Description

Debut LP by Boston’s The Massacred.Killer hardcore taking influence from UK82 and early Scandinavian punk, but with the tough as nails attitude of classic 80s Boston hardcore.

Our take: After two scorching 7s, Boston hardcore punk band the Massacred brings us their debut twelve-song LP. The Massacreds two EPs are some of the strongest, most memorable punk records of the past several years, and anticipation was sky high for this record. As expected, its a total monster, but it took me a few listens to warm up to it. When I first sat down with Nightmare Agitators, I felt like the Massacred de-emphasized some of the strongest cards in their hand. One thing that sets the Massacred apart from legions of other hardcore bands is their speed and precision. They arent the fastest band in the world, but they may be the tightest, each note delivered with deadly precision and the bass, drums, and guitar locked together in a way that multiplies their impact exponentially. While that sound still forms the backbone of Nightmare Agitators, its fleshed out with more mid-paced material, and the different instrumentalists parts often complement one another subtly rather than remaining in rigid lock-step. Theres a lot of variation in tempo on this album, with three fully mid-paced songs and lots of other half-time sections within songs, even getting downright slow and sludgy on the intro to Lie in Ambush. The Massacreds other big calling card on the EPs was their huge vocal hooks (schizophrenic in-saaaaaaanity!), but those are also less prevalent on Nightmare Agitators. The chorus for Lie in Ambush stood out as great on first listen, but the vocals seem more submerged in the mix on Nightmare Agitators, and it took a few listens for the rest of the records choruses to lodge themselves in my brain. Those may sound like criticisms, but by de-emphasizing these more immediate aspects of their sound, the Massacred opens up opportunities to develop other strengths. The title track is a standout in this regard, a mid-paced song that builds tension through the verses, then goes through this wild chorus section that starts with a catchy lead guitar hook, builds to a climactic gang chant, then abruptly downshifts into a rolling tom part. Its unexpected, but its my favorite part on the record. Extermination ends the album with another standout mid-paced track, the menacing march erupting in squeals of abstract noise guitar that scald your eardrums before settling into an eerie, phaser-drenched melody as the song fades out. As much as I love the blistering speed picking on The Gash You Cant Close or Detest, they hit even harder as tactics employed within a more comprehensive assault. This kind of stripped-down punk often doesnt survive the transition from 7 to 12 vinyl, but the Massacred stepped up to the challenge here, delivering a solid 25-minute full-length that not only avoids repeating itself, but is dense and imaginative enough to propel you through many repeated plays.