The Nika Riots – Derelict
Release Date: 29th April 2022
Label: Mas-Kina Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Metallic Hardcore
FFO: Every Time I Die, Gallows, Rise Against.
Review By: Rory Bentley
Norwegian Hardcore mob The Nika Riots talk a big game in their press release, citing their core influences as Every Time I Die, Rise Against and Gallows. Already that sounds like catnip to my ears, but I’ve been lured into false hope by many a PR puff piece in my time reviewing new bands, only to push play and get something that either bares very little resemblance to what was advertised or, perhaps worse- a weaker version of the band’s inspirations. Imagine my relief, then, that Derelict not only lives up to the blurb in the promo notes, but offers so much more.
As the dissonant post-hardcore chords of Dereliction Beat give way to a searing attack of squalling riffs and vocals that guarantee Strepsil some repeat business, I know I’m in my happy place. By the time I get to the rousing chorus, where the classic-era Rise Against influence comes to the forefront, all signs point to a lovely time for my hardcore-hungry ears. But rather than merely being a whistle-stop tour of cool bands that I like (which in all fairness I would have been fine with after the amount of Power Metal I’ve had to endure in the name of music writing this year), The Nika Riots demonstrate a deft grasp of songwriting sophistication that is far better than a band on their first album has any right to pull off.
Sophomore cut Inertia goes a long way towards proving this point, throwing out stomping riffs, bouncy call and response gang vocal sections and some eerie chorus vocals that recall Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan at his most unhinged. The song then caps things off with a spine-tingling swelling crescendo that shows these guys are more than just beat-down heavy bruisers.
The variety of influences within the band are evident throughout, and it is this eclecticism that gives them a signature sound that sets them apart, melding different approaches into something unique. Perseverance is underpinned by drum work that would be at home on an At the Gates album, but it avoids the trappings of many a melodeath-aping metalcore also-ran by complimenting this rhythmic approach with guitar melodies that sit more comfortably in the wiry, off-kilter realm of post-hardcore. Despite containing verses that would test the cardio of anyone in a circle pit, the song manages to incorporate somber piano sections with crooned vocals in between breaking out the tried and tested technique of murdering you by bringing the main riff back but slower. Lovely stuff!
Elsewhere, the good time rock and roll swagger of Every Time I Die makes a prominent appearance on Shake Colosseum, which is all about throat-shredding hooks and bending the shit out of the bottom guitar string on some elastic, butt-shaking riffs. At this point, the band’s aptitude for massive choruses is beyond dispute. Lead single, Like Swans, further cements this mastery of hooks as the chorus erupts from the off-kilter verses and caps everything off with a smooth, bluesy outro. It’s these little dashes of outside influences peppered through rock solid songs that really make a world of difference.
My personal favourite track is Crime Tapes and Weltschmerz, which for some reason reminded me of the spacey arpeggios and spectral vocal arrangements of latter-day Mastodon, while also evoking the angular intensity of classic Converge. You’re always going to get my blood pumping when you splice two of my favourite bands together, but when you end the song with a frankly disgusting Hardcore beat down that makes me want to yeet myself into another dimension, consider me fully on board.
If I had to nitpick, I would posit that the band are still digesting their influences and the record constantly feels on the cusp of having a truly unique sound that shakes off the feeling of the band being musical magpies without quite getting there. But this is real minor stuff, particularly when the elements they’ve Frankensteined together are lifted from such exquisite sources. I just had to put my reviewer hat on for a second there, in between all the drooling and two-stepping round my kitchen.
In summary, The Nika Riots have put out a killer album on their first attempt without breaking a sweat and if I was a metallic hardcore band just starting out I’d be seething with envy. However, as a guy that needed a hardcore record that struts and swings as much as it chugs and slams, I could not be happier.
(4 / 5)
