A lot of hardcore bands that make it my way tend to leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Hatebreed, a band I’ve given more than a shot once, just doesn’t cut it for me, but every once in a while, a hardcore band will surprise me, like the Chicago based two man band, Riotous Indignation. Their first ever release, Violentus Musicae (EP), came out early this June. Though this band may be primarily a hardcore one, there are elements of thrash that make this one a raw and aggressive beast.

The opening of the EP begins cinematically with This World, with spoken words commenting on the current despicable state of our domain. A groovy bass line emerges with drums that create a good rumble felt in the chest. Vocals feel very thrash, rather than riding along the rails of hardcore. Guitars are a bit grainy, but overall, it creates a heavy force of sound when the all the instruments collide. Our Scene Our Way is a very short hardcore burst of fury, only lasting about a minute and thirty seconds. It’s a short heavy hitter that only sets up for the lengthier track on the EP, Secret Societies. This track is a hostile eight minutes, which keeps things interesting with change ups and solidly heavy guitar work.

Though Violentus Musicae may not be the most perfectly polished release, Riotous Indignation have a solid EP that has the potential to be great listen for hardcore and thrash fans alike.