Review / 200 Words Or Less
Rifle Diet
Abuse Begets Abuse / The Affected

The fourth inclusion in the Profane Existence Single Series arrives via Minneapolis, MN's Rifle Diet, a band comprised of former members of Garmonbozia and In Defence. Up until 2011 the band was known as Thrash Compactor. Along with the name change came a noticeable shift in sound – Rifle Diet is the result of the band moving into a darker direction; ditching much of their fastcore roots in favor of a heavier, neo-crust approach. As far as overall sound is concerned, the obvious comparisons, which may sound lazy but aren’t any less accurate, would be Kylesa and early From Ashes Rise.

The two songs here—“Abuse Begets Abuse” and “The Affected”—are molasses-thick coagulations of galloping sludge, plodding D-beat, and punishing hardcore, sprinkled with heavy metal guitar posturing and vocals that are both snotty and throaty at the same time. For a genre that is already jammed up with a million bands that do the same indistinguishable song over and over, it’s nice to see that these two tracks are noticeably different from each other, leaving some intrigue as to where this band might take things over the course of entire album. 

While lyricist and vocalist, Mariko seems to center the songs on socially challenging issues, she employs a more personal or even apolitical stance, which removes any sense of would-be preachiness. In “The Affected,” she sings, “You ask me why I care/ You ask me why I fight/ I fight because I’m female/ I fight because I’m queer.”