Some albums hit hard, and others leave permanent dents. No Cure’s debut full-length “It Is Going To Get Dark” doesn’t simply ask for your attention; it grabs you by the throat, slams your head through the nearest concrete wall, and leaves you gasping for breath as it stomps away in steel-toed boots.
This is metallic hardcore stripped of pretence, fuelled by conviction and delivered with a level of violence that very few bands can genuinely match in 2026.
Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, No Cure have spent years forging a reputation as one of the most uncompromising bands in modern hardcore. Their Southern roots bleed through every crushing riff, every gang vocal, and every breakdown, while their unwavering straight-edge philosophy remains central to everything they create. This isn’t simply another gimmick or marketing angle; it’s the backbone of the band’s identity, and “It Is Going To Get Dark” feels like the most complete expression of that ethos yet.
Rather than preaching from a pedestal, the record channels frustration, grief, addiction, violence and societal collapse into thirty-plus minutes of suffocating heaviness that somehow manages to be both brutally entertaining and emotionally affecting.
Opening track “When The Spasms Cease” wastes absolutely no time. Vocalist Blaythe Steuer immediately launches into a venomous tirade, his throat-shredding delivery sounding genuinely unhinged without ever sacrificing clarity. Behind him, guitarists Aesop Mongo and Kyle Ray unleash a relentless barrage of down-tuned riffs that shift seamlessly between death metal brutality and metallic hardcore groove. Bass fills every available gap with earth-moving low-end, while drummer Duncan Newey proves to be one of the album’s secret weapons. His transition from punishing blast beats to crushing halftime grooves feels effortless, giving every breakdown genuine weight rather than relying purely on production tricks.
The intensity barely lets up with “Oblivion Crusade,” another monstrous assault that demonstrates just how confident No Cure has become as songwriters. The band’s greatest strength lies in their understanding of dynamics. Instead of piling breakdown upon breakdown, they constantly manipulate tension, allowing frantic bursts of speed to collide with suffocatingly slow passages that feel genuinely dangerous. Every pause has purpose; every riff earns its place.
That sense of evolution continues with “Brain Matter Displacement,” featuring Jayway from Bayway. His guest appearance injects a fresh swagger into the song, introducing a hip-hop-influenced vocal passage that somehow feels completely natural amongst the chaos. Rather than overshadowing the band, the collaboration expands the song’s identity, highlighting No Cure’s willingness to push their sound beyond conventional hardcore without ever losing their crushing identity. It is one of the album’s standout moments and a perfect example of how guest features should enhance a song rather than distract from it.
“Slowly Turning Blue” offers one of the album’s darker emotional moments. Although still overwhelmingly heavy, there is a genuine sense of melancholy woven throughout its layered guitar work. Mongo and Ray demonstrate an impressive understanding of atmosphere here, using dissonance and restrained melody to create a suffocating sense of despair before the inevitable breakdown arrives, flattening everything in its path.
If there was ever any doubt about No Cure’s commitment to straight edge, “Ironclad” removes it entirely. Featuring Tyler Short of Inclination, the track stands proudly as one of the strongest straight edge anthems released in years. For me, being straight edge for over twenty years, it’s always great when a new modern SXE anthem is birthed & this is it. Both vocalists feed off each other’s intensity, transforming the song into a furious declaration of identity rather than simple slogan shouting. The chemistry between the two is exceptional, while Newey’s drumming constantly drives the momentum forward with explosive fills and perfectly timed accents.
The lengthy “Starved In Sanctuary (My Hands Are In Your Chest Cavity)” demonstrates another side of the band’s songwriting. Rather than chasing constant speed, No Cure builds tension through layered riffing and subtle tempo shifts, creating one of the album’s most cinematic moments. The crushing climax feels genuinely earned, showcasing a maturity that wasn’t always present on earlier releases.
Similarly, “My World In Flames” introduces moments of spoken-word intensity before exploding back into controlled chaos. Those brief moments of restraint only make the subsequent violence hit even harder, highlighting the band’s growing confidence as composers rather than simply breakdown merchants.
By the time “Convulsing In The Dark” arrives, the album has already established itself as one of the year’s heaviest releases, yet somehow No Cure still finds another gear. The track captures everything that makes this band special: impossibly tight musicianship, neck-snapping tempo changes, ferocious gang vocals and riffs seemingly designed to trigger absolute carnage in a live environment.
“Sharpen The Blade” raises the stakes again with guest appearances from members of Varials & CELL, producing one of the album’s nastiest collaborative moments. Rather than becoming overcrowded, each vocalist adds another layer of hostility, pushing the song towards complete sonic annihilation.
Then comes “Purity Spiral,” featuring Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain. Bennett’s unmistakable roar slots naturally into No Cure’s sound, adding another dimension to an already devastating composition. The song introduces fleeting melodic textures before collapsing back into crushing heaviness, providing one of the record’s most memorable contrasts.
At under a minute, “I Am Still Fucking Straight Edge” somehow says more than many bands manage across entire albums. It’s confrontational, unapologetic and guaranteed to divide opinion, but that has always been part of No Cure’s appeal. They refuse to dilute their beliefs for wider acceptance, and that authenticity gives every lyric genuine weight.
Closing with “Everything I Love Is Dead Or Dying,” the band leaves listeners emotionally exhausted rather than simply battered. The song carries an overwhelming sense of grief beneath its sonic violence, bringing the album full circle and reinforcing its central themes of loss, survival and unwavering conviction.
Musically, “It Is Going To Get Dark” represents a significant leap forward. The production is immense without feeling sterile, allowing every instrument room to breathe despite the overwhelming density. Mongo and Ray continuously trade crushing death metal riffs with hardcore groove, and Duncan Newey delivers one of the finest drum performances heard within the genre this year. At the same time, Blaythe Steuer cements himself as one of hardcore’s most compelling modern vocalists. More importantly, No Cure finally feels like a band writing complete songs rather than collections of breakdowns, allowing atmosphere, pacing and emotional impact to sit alongside sheer brutality.
The record is full of technical precision, suffocating heaviness and emotional depth, while creating sharpened songwriting and an uncompromising vision. It blends all the highlights of heavy music you could love, whether it’s the impact of metallic hardcore vets Earth Crisis, the mammoth riffage of Bolt Thrower or the signature soaring guitars of King & Hanneman of Slayer. It wraps everything you love in a bow & blasts it with a 12-gauge shotgun.
“It Is Going To Get Dark” is not simply another heavy hardcore record destined to disappear into the streaming abyss. It feels like a defining statement from a band operating at the absolute peak of their powers. Birmingham, Alabama, has produced another monster, and No Cure has delivered an album that balances unrelenting aggression with genuine songwriting intelligence. This is violent, passionate, emotionally charged hardcore that refuses to compromise for anyone.
STRAIGHTFUCKINGEDGE…
It Is Going To Get Dark arrives July 10th courtesy of Sharptone Records.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
It Is Going To Get Dark Tracklist:
