Trundling towards the end of the longest month known to mankind we can be grateful for small mercies like the banging new EP from Sidewinder, a four-track monster that will smack the January malaise off you in a heartbeat.
If thrash hardcore crossover is your bag then this will blow your socks off; jam-packed with everything that makes thrash great and the brashness of hardcore. The opener “Two Zero One” is the equivalent of a sledgehammer alarm call as it smashes you right in the face with pure power, savage riffs, Slayer and Kreator spring to mind, backed up with a monster bassline and a relentless drum beat which would not be out of place on any album from any iteration of the Cavalera’s they are that good and all capped off with Damo’s brutal vocals, a statement of intent has been laid down with this track. Title track “March Of The Eternal Heretic” continues the onslaught with a hardcore edge, the cutting riffs and the incessant drumming create a killer rhythm that bores into your brain while the bass rumbles in the background with serious intent, Damo screams and roars his way through this one like nobody’s business all going towards giving you one hell of a track.
Showing no sign of taking the foot off the pedal “From Beneath They Shall Rise” ramps up the intensity if anything else; Jones and Ginner’s guitar work is nothing short of exceptional while the low end is meticulously upheld by Finch and Gaz with their blistering drum and bass combo, Damo puts in another serious shift here going from screaming to guttural, its pure class. The EP closes with “Ashes Of Reality”, the epitome of crossover delivering a seamless combination of both thrash and hardcore in a very tidy nutshell, the kicking drum beat starting it off sets up the killer dual guitar attack, that has a hint of Death about, as Damo stamps his authority down you throat with his savage vocal assault, one can but hope that this is just a taster of what these guys have to come and that a full album is not too far away.
This is a throwback to the heady days of the late 80’s early 90’s when bands like Slayer, Kreator, Sepultura, Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, Suicidal Tendencies et al were at the forefront of hard aggressive music, their influence shines through here big time and it is sensational
Review: Conor
Sidewinder are:
Damo Vocals
Gaz Drums
Ginner Guitar
Jones Guitar
Finch Bass