Lockslip may be a fairly new band, but in the four years they’ve been around their music has made quite an impression. 2024’s self-titled EP was a quick burst of metallic hardcore that also leaned into the dizzying transitions of mathcore and some sludgy sections, and this year’s The Conversation builds naturally on that transition. Across its eleven tracks The Conversation rarely lets off the gas, throwing aggressive and chaotic riffing at the listener while also letting in some hints of melody and noisier electronics. It leans into some familiar territory but does it in a way that gives Lockslip an identity of their own.
While the first twenty seconds or so of opener “Gray World” may seem a bit softer than you’re expecting, as it has a voice sample and distortion that sounds to me like a warped VHS recording of something from public access television, this quickly gives way to wild and chaotic riffing that is as scorching as you’d expect from anything metallic hardcore adjacent. Lockslip makes it immediately apparent just how capable they are at the type of breakneck transitions and noisy bursts that have made these genres so appealing over the years, and the back-and-forth blasts give me just as much of a mathcore feel as it does metallic hardcore. But The Conversation doesn’t fall firmly into one of these genres, as there are shifts into older metalcore and even straight-up hardcore early on, plus “Rattle of Death” and “I’m the Same” come the closest I’ve heard another band to sounding like Converge in some time. There’s not only a similar tonality on both of these songs, but the breakneck riffing and fluidity give off a lot of Jane Doe and Axe to Fall influence without coming across like a mere clone. Other tracks shake things up further, as “Speak Without Words” has some straight grindcore sounding sections and there are other sections where the incendiary tone and shredding guitar comes through closer to crossover thrash. Closer “End the Conversation” lets a good deal of melody seep in, slowing things down in favor of a much darker and gloomier atmosphere. This track reminds me of Converge’s more reflective moments as well as Cult Leader and even some post metal, but the way it builds up to a burst of noisy saxophone and harsher guitar and bass tones ends the album off on a memorable note.
Vocalist Sara G keeps the intensity cranked up to max for the entirety of The Conversation, and this goes a long way in giving The Conversation the sheer amount of impact it’ll have on listeners. The screams come in a bit raspier and lower pitched, but there’s a good range to the performance and you’ll hear some dips into higher pitches as well as some backing screams that make the vocals break through your speakers with the force of a wrecking ball. Don’t expect any shifts to singing though, as Lockslip opts to keep the bursts of melody and somber atmosphere to its instrumentals on this album and lets the screams go for the throat from song to song. The band did bring in some guests that shake things up a bit though, as you’ll hear King Yosef on the first track, Thirdface’s Kathryn Edwards on “Paradise is Not For Us”, and Nails’ Todd Jones on “Iconoclast”. As you’d expect, these guests keep things on the harsh and aggressive side of the spectrum too but you can tell when they take over on specific verses and their differences in pitch mesh well with Sara.
The Conversation may sound a lot like Converge on some of its songs, but so few bands have been able to capture the controlled chaos and precision and this made Lockslip even more appealing for me. There are some shifts into mathcore, crossover thrash, and traditional hardcore, plus the occasional transitions into noisier electronics and somber melodies helps the group’s ideas stand out a bit more. Considering they’re only four years in, Lockslip already sounds like seasoned veterans and I’m excited to hear how they continue to experiment and branch out their take on this style in the years to come. The Conversation is available from Bleakhouse.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg