First Impressions are whiz-bang reviews of singles, 7″s, EPs, and LPs which are given a review after a single listen. This is a great way for TGEFM to showcase some of the releases which may not get a full review on their own.
Epitaph Records, 07 Feb 2023
Santa Cruz hardcore band DRAIN are pretty brutal. And while I don’t consider myself a hardcore aficionado by any means, they are one of the bands that can truly catch my ear. California Cursed got my attention really quick – not sure why, but the heavy riffs and the venomous vocals just refused to let go of my brain.
Now, with Living Proof on the way in May, the new “Evil Finds Light” is getting me all amped up all over again. The song has a pretty mean guitar that has more than a few metal touchstones and the rhythm alternates between quick mid-tempo pacing and a breakdown sort of stomp. And the vocals, howled and yelled with a deranged range (and even growled at a couple of points), keep up and fit the rage of the song just right. The arrangement of the song has its pulse on the attention-limited listener, shifting direction every few lines but also seemingly with intent – if you don’t like a particular moment of the song, just hang on a second and something new gets tried. DRAIN’s a weird band for me to like, but this song will do nothing to change my weird liking of them.
- Song Comes From: Living Proof
- Album Release Date: 05 May 2023
- Purchase/Pre-Order/Pre-Save: Here
Have an album or release you want reviewed? Send it to us HERE.
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
