Viciously Hateful

“Trust None” (2021)

Yes, I did arrive late to the party, but only because I was being extremely discriminatory on the Beatdown thing. Yes, I do have a very clear idea on how my Hardcore should sound, and I have a hard time in connecting with bands that stray away from those guidelines. I see now that it is my loss, completely. Viciously Hateful is a 5-piece mastodon from Lisbon, a Beatdown massacre with a taste for NYHC.

“Trust None” was the band’s first release, back in 2021. Since then, a single came out - “Eye for an Eye”, ft. Peblu from Bun Dem Out & Knuckledust - and no more so far. Beatdown is not a thing I tend to enjoy, especially due to the structure that most Beatdown bands have, the pace, the vocals, etc., it almost as if they are straying away from Hardcore and into a different mindset. Some, nearly fall into the Slam segment… and that is a very round NO for me. Nonetheless, the lads have a very well-balanced formula, sort of in line with Fear the Lord, where the dosages of Hardcore and Beatdown are measured evenly, and the end product is really good.

A 5-track album, featuring FTL’s vocalist, and Johnny & CVNT from Unexist (now this is a project I am having a hard time getting into), which gives you a good idea of what the band is about in terms of sound. Love the drumming on this, and the overall instrumental part… that is real Hardcore shit right there! The vocals are harsher and harder than what we get with Hardcore, of course. The breakdowns, yeah, the breakdowns. That is what Beatdown is mostly known for, right? Nevertheless, things drop tremendously well, yeah! The last track, “Cold Survival”, has the whole Hardcore spirit encapsulated into 3 minutes and 7 seconds, along with the help from the mates from Unexist, and those details that take the music from genre to genre, “complicating” the final formula. Tight release from a tight group of musicians.

Cold Iron Records, a German label for DIY Hardcore and Death Metal will release "Trust None" on Tape sometime this year. Be sure to check it out!

Viciously Hateful Official Bandcamp