Sciatic Nerve

Sciatic Nerve is a band that doesn’t care what you think. They don’t have “band sound,” or so the press release claims. To get all meta on them, their stated brand-less concept is a concept itself. But I digress. The important thing is that it’s a group of long-time friends who came together to have fun and play music. That’s the point. It really is that simple.

Featuring old timer punks who also play in Swingin’ Utters, Nothington, Western Addiction, and Cobra Skulls, it’s something of a similar concept as The Falcon. It’s a place for friends to write fun, fast songs without some higher artistic purpose or a sound that’s predefined by listener expectation. Their 12-song debut delivers on this promise.

Throughout the self-titled record, the sound is fast and furious, angry but without vitriol. It’s contained hardcore that harkens to the glory days without echoing. Equally impressive is the fact that the 12 songs all follow this “old school” approach without blurring together into sounding like one 26-minute track. “Sciatic Nerve” is a statement track, a blistering 51-second affair to introduce things. “Sleep” is driven by its down-tuned bass and angry shouting, while “Bright Lights” follows that up with coarse vocal melodic hardcore. The bass chugs, the guitars pound up and down the scales, and the vocals and drums are always pushing forward through the muck.

Out on Anxious and Angry Records in the US and Gunner Records in Europe.

8.3 / 10 — Loren