Blackhole - Dead Hearts

Dead Hearts sees eleven chunks of thoroughly respectable hardcore lobbed through The MC5's window. This young Londonian quintet set off from the same station as The Bronx, with walls of gritty but stylish guitar and a solid rhythm section. Vocalist Richard Carter takes no prisoners with his constant fifth-gear throat abuse, adding a layer of venom to the otherwise upbeat music. Scared To Change is a stand-out track, with some pleasantly sinister interplay in the verse juxtaposed by a victorious chorus. Tides also catches the ear on early listens thanks to a gritty, rolling bass intro that boils over into a full-speed chorus, begging for a circle pit to soundtrack. The clarity and depth of the recording owes no small debt to the experience and skill of Colin Richardson, previously credited by the likes of Slipknot, Fear Factory and Machine Head. Ultimately though it's Blackhole's punchy, succinct song-writing and ear for a hardcore hook that deserve the credit.