It's Monday and Mondays suck, so let's grind it out with Endorphins Lost Seclusions.
Well, we're past the darker months until November rolls around again, or until our useless governing bodies pass legislature that finally does away with this arbitrary time skip. And I'll confess, unlike almost everyone, I enjoy the darker months. Why? Well, one of the reasons is that it makes darker music that much more enjoyable. There's just something about the two that compliment each other so well. Enter: Endorphins Lost.
Those of you that follow this column, or even sparingly read it, should be no strangers to powerviolence, or how often I feature it. And Endorphins Lost is a band that I should have put on here a long time ago. The Seattle, WA group is one of the finest modern examples of the genre, and have really picked up steam in the last three years. The release of Choose Your Way certainly turned my head. Then on top of that, a split with Osk, and now…Seclusions, the band's second full-length offering.
"Shell" kicks on and you're forgiven for thinking this is a straight forward hardcore/punk record. It sounds like one, it plays like one. The forward push is purely punk, as is the rhythm, bouncing and circle pit worthy. But then the track gets about halfway through and you start to hear that classic derailing, blast shift. Things get chunky, things speed up. Things start to sound like an Infest or No Comment album.
Endorphins Lost is definitely a band more rooted in hardcore/punk than anything else. While some bands spend more time riding a wave between sludge and grind, Endorphins Lost are more like grind and hardcore/punk with a splash of sludge thrown in. The band is seldom on the slower end of things, and when they are they don't usually stay in those waters for too long. Tracks like "Caduceus Rising" have slow sections, yeah, but they're surrounding by chaos. And even when it's slower, it's like the band is just sitting there, waiting to start blazing again. The title track is one of the slowest, heaviest tracks on the album and even that doesn't feel very slow. Not until later in the track and that just ends up exploding into glories blast after blast.
So, where does Endorphins Lost stand out amongst the powerviolence crowd? Sheer ferocity of songwriting. Powerviolence isn't a genre that can be reinvented at this point. Everything, as it is with a lot of genres now, comes down to strength of structure. And these guys are excellent with structure. But hey, going at it for six years does that for some bands. Tracks around a minute hit as hard at tracks that clock in at nearly four. When "Human Shield" hits, Seclusions violence factor quadruples and the album becomes a frenzy. When the final track "Two Minutes Hate" comes on, the album reaches a state of frothing, ominous anger that reaches a boiling point.
Seclusions is Endorphins Lost at their strongest so far. The album is an impressive piece of powerviolence that sticks close to the classic hardcore/punk sound. By the time it wraps up, all the windows in your house/apartment/elaborate box/car might be smashed out. Should be smashed out. Regardless, Seclusions is an awesome album and a great way to grind this Monday away. Get grinding on this!
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