Cleaver – No More Must Crawl
Release Date: 6th May 2021
Label: Klonosphere Records
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Genre: Hardcore Punk, Alternative Metal, Hardcore.
FFO: Code Orange, Converge, Poison The Well.
Review By: Ryan Payne
Next up we have the punk hardcore trio Cleaver with their debut album “No More Must Crawl” which will be released on 6th May via Klonosphere Records. The band formed in early 2018 and have worked very hard to put this album together, and it’s definitely paid off. From the first to the last track, Cleaver bring an intense arsenal to the table. Every track hitting you with a wall of chaotic sound, brought to you by fast hitting drums and some old school hardcore punk riffs that definitely leave a lasting impact on the listener. The vocals sound raw and powerful, bringing such an intense feeling to the listener, as well as some clean singing which add a little flavour into the mix. The album isn’t very long with most of the songs being less than 3 minutes long, but Cleaver hit you with everything they’ve got in a short space of time, and it makes that much more impact on the listener.
The album has a couple of surprises, too, such as the track Inner Voice: the band show a more melodic side to themselves and is probably the closest thing from these guys to be called a ballad but still hits just as hard as the rest of the album. The title track of the album also shows an almost doom metal mix with melodic hardcore and feels like a very emotional, dark track from the band. Both these tracks have become personal favourites of mine, but the whole album is a very impressive display of musicianship, and they are definitely going to be making waves once this album releases.
After doing a bit of research on the band, I feel their biggest downfall is probably their choices of singles. Cleaver released the songs Sunset and Thudding Stares as prime singles in anticipation for the album and in my opinion, they are good songs, but there are other songs on this record that are a lot stronger and would have definitely reached a wider audience for the band, especially with the tracks that step away from the chaotic hardcore side. That being said, this is definitely a band to keep an eye on and a debut album well worth checking out. 
(4 / 5)
