Philly-based hardcore punk outfit, Hallucination, throws down a barbaric beating and shows no mercy on their self-titled debut demo. Talk about one dark sounding offering of blistering hardcore punk that is raw to the bone!
On this debut demo Hallucination carves their own sickening path of hardcore chaos and in doing so, displays a tremendous amount of savage energy from beginning to end. The intense d-beat rhythms and unapologetic approach creates an atmosphere of unfathomable sounding terror. You definitely feel this band’s negative energy as they violently tear through their songs. My only complaint is that I wish the demo would have been longer, because I was really starting to become possessed by the band’s vicious presentation. Then again this is hardcore punk, so what an album lacks in terms of length is made up for by the band’s deafening and abrasive sound.
The song, “Hallucinations,” definitely sets the tone by unleashing a landslide of musical disorder. Right away the band’s guitarist lays down a bludgeoning of ear-shattering distortion, while the drumming is feverishly precise with each strike from behind the kit. However, I believe that the band’s vocalist is the one who provided the winning ingredient to this destructive sounding creation. The vocals demand attention and inject a vivd rush of emotion into the overall mix. On the song, “Combat Conditions,” the band once again wastes little time in expressing their terrifying hardcore punk vision. These musicians may not write long technical sounding compositions, but they sure as hell know how to leave an impact!
I really enjoyed the song, “Progress?,” and consider the track to be one that truly relates to the current state of our world. Also, the band’s style and approach during the song reminded me of classic hardcore punk bands that paved the way by writing music that was simple, yet opened people’s eyes to the cruel realities of present day society. The final song, “Ride Off in the Sun,” is the longest track on the demo and the song is about 3 minutes and 43 seconds. With a little more time than usual, the band deals out a blistering riff assault. Overall, you feel lost in a world of devastation, yet you start to accept the harsh environment as the music reaches the very abysmal end.
Sentient Ruin will be releasing this demo on cassette March 5, so if you are a hardcore punk enthusiast who enjoys collecting killer sounding tapes, then you should definitely add this demo to you collection. I really viewed this demo as a strong introduction to Hallucination and hope they continue to bring this same level of energy and passion on future releases. I cannot find much to complain about, and from what I’ve said before, this is a release that did not disappoint and might fuel more young bands to push themselves in terms of writing more aggressive sounding releases. As our world continues to regress due to human ignorance, we need more bands like Hallucination around.
I agree they're pretty amazing punk band. Enjoyed review as always.
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