Cities like Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles get a lot of attention when it comes to hardcore. And it's not that it isn't deserved, they turn out a ton of quality bands. But there are other cities to keep tabs on as well... Pittsburgh is one of those cities and it has finally unleashed the debut full-length from Unreal City, an album that has been a long-time coming for followers of the group - those gritty demo recordings just weren't cutting it anymore. Thankfully Ephemeral Subsistence delivers to long-time listeners and will easily please those listening for the very first time.
Ephemeral Subsistence crushes you from the very beginning with "Coiled Destiny." A thundering rhythm section teams with dueling guitars and coarse-throated wail for the perfect introduction. The song quickly changes pace to a much more up-tempo approach during the mid-section before clocking out with a thundering breakdown to round the song off. "Slipping into Perversion" and "Fabricated" continue the assault further, accented by some spectacular guitar work. The former is a minute-and-half blast that pays the perfect homage to the band's most noticeable influences - the closely-knit Integrity and In Cold Blood. The latter takes a bit longer to unveil itself, taking the time to develop with darker and more intense riffing, and the occasional solo placed perfectly.
The album continues along with one great song after the next, mixing together brooding and cathartic hardcore with more up-tempo metal moments. Unreal City bring forth a revival of the 90's hardcore sound with perfection, even including instrumental introductions likes the piece in "War in Heaven."
But what Unreal City does best is shred and when they do, I don't think there is a better hardcore band at it. "Visions" is a devastating assault of chunky riffs and pummeling drum work. The breakdown is absolutely crushing and a fun affair for live shows. "Altus Proditio" absolutely slays as well. "Beyond Reality" is a fitting closer with a slight building momentum of guitar harmonies, eventually culminating with a tasteful guitar solo.
On the lyrical side of things, Unreal City has quite the dismal outlook on the world. The songs are filled with words of despair and apocalyptic visions of a world being torn apart by its own misdoings. One of my favorite sets of lines can be found in the song "In the Council of Demons" as follows:
I can feel them inside / Unspeakable torment / The nightmare begins / As long as my heart beats, I know / I'll be enslaved / The menace feeds on my soul / Now I pray for death to bring me salvation
Ephemeral Subsistence marks itself as one of the best debut albums I've heard in the past few years. It's a shame the album is only thirty-minutes long as I could probably listen to an hour-long album from these guys. If you at all enjoy the sounds of 90's metallic hardcore, then you owe it to yourself to listen to Unreal City, one of the best-kept secrets of hardcore.
