Yosemite In Black – The Pursuit Of
Release Date: 16th August 2024
Label: Terminus Hate City
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Genre: Hardcore
FFO: Hatebreed, Year of the Knife, Dying Wish, Earth Crisis.
Review By: Jeff Finch
Hardcore has always been a genre that I gravitate towards: something about the unrepentant intensity and heft that hardcore bands bring to the table gets my ears perked and my head bobbing. Introduced to the genre with who else but Hatebreed, my love for the genre hasn’t wavered, though admittedly the volume of hardcore bands I listen to is not particularly indicative of my love for it, and perhaps it’s merely because I’ve never heard of a lot of the best bands in the genre. Today’s band, Yosemite in Black, fits that mold of bands that I had not heard prior, and they’re leaving as a band that I need to pay attention to in the future, as their brand, self-labelled as ‘hippie hardcore,’ is simply punishing.
I mention Hatebreed earlier not only to give an indication at the early hardcore listening habits I developed, but also to say that there are moments on this album that just feel like the band is channeling them The riffs are crushing, elongated to imbue maximum devastation, while the vocals, not reminiscent of Jamey Jasta in terms of sound, match the intensity the man brought to every record, the first track Cerberus providing the instant recognition, as the opening beats are ripped straight from the 90s scene, only for the song to take on its own life and leave the direct comparisons in the dust.
Bucking those direct comparisons even further, the sludgy, doom-laden riffs that suffocate on closer Fade Out couple with deep gutturals to create a soundscape that’s as crushing as it is superb, the band not relinquishing any of their drive or intensity, just slowing it down to concentrate the heavy, in a way the complete antithesis to the unrelenting, almost thrashy opener.
This album is only 22 minutes in length, over the course of 8 songs, and rarely, if ever, does it give listeners a chance to breathe. Bass drops, breakdowns, pummeling percussion with nice technical flourishes, even the occasional ‘blast beat,’ half-time tempo shifts, and, most importantly, a seemingly unending supply of energy, all of this combines to create a sonic landscape that’s meant solely to punish a listener into submission. Hell, they even mess with us a bit, the breakdown in the middle of Just this once a completely restrained, minimally intense respite with a few guitar flourishes, simple drum fills, and quick sonic pauses, that leads to the band giving a swift kick right in the ass as we’re caught lazing about when the riffs pick back up intensity. A more lively rendition of the breakdown is played later in the track, with constantly churning guitar, the brief moments of dead space nowhere in sight, as a way to close out the track on a high note and almost apologize for those giving us those quieter moments earlier on.
To be real, there is very little about the album to be disappointed in or find fault in; this thing is meant to bring punishing riffs, filthy bass lines, angsty yells and shrieks, and a drummer who doesn’t know how to not mercilessly beat the hell of out his kit. And it does just that, almost non-stop, for 22 straight minutes. The intensity of each track, the speed and fury mixed with the slower chugs and occasional restraint, yields an album that will feel like it’s over before it’s even begun, and one that will need to garner numerous listens. Does it reinvent the hardcore wheel by making that wheel a hippie? No, but it doesn’t need to; the band imbues enough ferocity into this record such that, even if they are compared to their hardcore contemporaries due, in part, to the sonic similarities, you’ll almost want to come to them for your hardcore fix because you know it’s going to be quick, it’s going to be merciless, and it’s going to make your head bang, and it’ll all be over before you’ve even finished an episode of Parks and Rec.
(4 / 5)
