Technical prowess and hardcore usually do not go hand in hand. It seems that many bands in the genre succumb to the generic characteristics of heavy music, both musically and lyrically. However, on rare occasions there are bands that come along and throw out all modern convention and really think outside of the mosh pit. Sharon, Pennsylvania’s Old Accusers is one of these bands that turns the hardcore scene on its head.
From the first few seconds of the band’s debut EP, Of And Beyond, you know that this band is not fooling around. “The Wait” starts off as heavy as you can imagine, throwing a doom metal riff and almost beatdown-worthy palm muting over slamming and relentless drum patterns. This isn’t ordinary for the band, and their main influences of Coalesce, Botch, and The Jesus Lizard shine through on many other parts of the song. The use of choppy time signatures and intricate and dark guitar work really helps “The Wait” set the stage for the six-song album. The second track, “Green As Ever”, starts out very spacy and effects-driven. With the bass leading the charge, the guitars and drums accompany enough to maintain the dark tone. The song grows to monstrous proportions, becoming more and more crushing with each passing progression. It leads into a mostly-monotone riff that is as creepy as it is heavy.
“Medicine Show” follows, and shows no signs of ease. The first 40 seconds of the song are completely devastating, and are followed by a very melodic and eerie lead, accompanied with the lyrics “From your soapbox / From your recliner / From your front lawn in your happy, wholesome housing development”. The following progression is probably the most unique on the whole EP: a percussion-heavy almost-tribal riff, reminiscent of Neurosis or early Sepultura. The song leads back into a reprise of the beginning of the song and into the drop-tuned, atonal and painstakingly heavy ending.
The second half of the EP starts with an older song from the band’s repertoire, “Untitled (b)”. Clocking in at less than two minutes, it’s the shortest song on the album, but still packs just as much of a punch as the longer selections. Using unconventional guitar work and busy drumming, the song keeps the pace upbeat, eventually slamming into a heavy ending and bleak lyrical content: “The only hell I believe in is the one on earth”.
Don’t let the title fool you, but “Born For Hard Luck” is far from a nod to country-western music. Right from the start, the song is merciless and gloomy. Despite its use of 6/8 time signatures in the latter part of the song, the band uses heavy and technical riffs to illustrate the struggle and strife eluded to in the lyrics. The final track, “Skipping Stones”, starts out with over a minute of ambient noise which has contributions from all five members of the band. The song clocks in at over nine minutes and is sluggish in nature, but utilizes its slow nature to its advantage by painting a dismal picture through the instrumentation. The song churns along for about six minutes before going back into a very dark and ambient portion, accompanied by the repeated lyric line “the tension is breaking my bones”. After kicking in for one last hurrah of heaviness, the song abruptly stops and concludes the half-hour-long EP.
Seeing this band live is always an experience, and I feel that these recordings capture that emotion and energy well, but not perfectly. The sound is much more crushing in person than through Of And Beyond. However, if this is the first official recording product for this band, their future recordings will be even more intense and awe-inspiring.
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