Guilt Trip - Severance - Metal Epidemic

Guilt Trip – Severance
Release Date: 22nd September 2023
Label: MLVLTD
Order
Genre: Metallic Hardcore, Metal, Crossover.
FFO: Dagger Threat, Harm/Shelter, Desolated, Incendiary, Malevolence, Nasty.
Review By: Mark Young

Love it when local bands pop up like this. I’ll admit that I have don’t have my finger on the pulse of new music and rely on the goodness of others (This site for example) to say ‘have a load of this’. More often than not, it’s always stuff that I want to see live, irrespective of the genre or tags associated with a band. I think being gently signposted is at least for me a healthy way to do this and so it goes with Guilt Trip, with their latest Severance that has come in and said, ‘we think this is rather good, check it out’ and you know what, it’s ace.

It just kicks off with a short blast that takes in classic era Machine Head, running headlong with a near 35-minute battering ram, all muscular riffs, drums and ever-present vitriol courtesy of Jay Valentine. This is like a pure distillation of metallic hardcore, but not one that is just one note. The influences are varied, with an attack that is inspired. Eyes Wide Shut being a prime example of using that shifting gear, the fast into the controlled breakdown that hits so well.

Sweet Dreams (ft Floren Salfati of LANDMVRKS) just absolutely slays, totally efficient, focused with a super-lean runtime and this is one trick they have mastered, the songs are long enough to say what is needed and then Bang, onto the next one. Reaching Paradise is a reset to catch a breath and herald in the mighty riff-bastard that is Tearing Your Life Away. This is just prime aggression that doesn’t stop. Broken Wings takes that baton but manages to strip back to allow a subtle breakdown to come in before switching back to the uber-tight riffing. It’s this airlock seal tight riffing that I’m digging on, it is just razor sharp and pulls it forward at all times like it’s caught in the gravity of a heavenly body. Just love it.

Last track, Dusk, changes everything with an acoustic style that shows that there is more than just being able to conjure riffs out of thin air. This works so well because they have left it to the end, in a way they have fed you with 11-course meal and now here is the palate cleanser

Even when they throw some clean singing into the mix, it doesn’t feel forced or out of place. It just works and for me that constant push that comes from the guitar just bulldozes. It’s amazing that of the 12 songs here, each one has that stand-out guitar work which makes it so difficult to pick an album highlight, it’s that strong. In November, they head out on tour, supporting Sylosis and Malevolence and I can’t think of a better way to spend the evening.