The Pitch: "Intensely claustrophobic, teluric sludge infused mathy hardcore" from the UK. FFO: Northless, LLNN
What I Like: Sense Offender, true to their name, are a reprehensible assault on both auditory senses and internal sensibilities. Case in point, the first track, "The Sound of Braille" is one of the most unlistenable intros I have come across in the hardcore scene. It's an instant migraine. Fortunately, I'm a glutton for punishment, so this EP is right up my alley. The guitars, drums, and bass are gritty, ugly, and utterly destructive on their own, but the vocals really push this sound over the cliff. More akin to bleak sludge groups like Northless, Jack Strange's gruff vocal delivery embodies the "Orwellian" atmosphere the project is going for, though there are some nice, subtle melodic touches to the music encorporated towards the end.
Critiques: While I appreciate the 1000 needles to the brain approach to the intro, it's a bit much. I mean it's 3 and a half minutes of an EP that's only 16. I also have a nitpick with "Prophey-less" in that it would transition better to "Starving Pigs" without drawing out 20 seconds of feedback.
The Verdict: While I would have preferred another song over some of the noise, Sense Offender is a crushing EP that should turn more than a few heads. I'll be interested to hear what a full length might hold.
Flight's Fav's: Starving Pigs, Weigh My Pieces
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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