Artist: Stiff Meds
Title: Exciting Violence
Release: Tape / Digital
Year: 2020
Label: Affair Records, Rebirth Records
Released on October 16th, 2020 with tapes available via Affair Records and Rebirth Records, Exciting Violence is the second release from London hardcore punk four-piece Stiff Meds.
On this release, Stiff Meds bring forth elements of power violence, fastcore and bone crushing heaviness into their utterly pissed off style of stomping hardcore punk, reminiscent of bands like Gulch or Public Acid.
Opener “Scavengers of Death” does a great job of ramping up the tension with its familiar hardcore build up, hinting at a big breakdown incoming and it does not disappoint. From there on out, they pick up the speed and pack as much chaos and fury as they can muster between the colossal mosh-moments. The lightning fast stop start sections in “It’s Suicide” leading to probably the biggest slowest breakdown of the record conjure images of the sweaty circle pits many of us have been missing for the last year or so. That being said, picking highlights from this record can be difficult, not because there aren’t any, but because there are so many.
Across the ten tracks on display, Stiff Meds don’t really repeat themselves, with each track offering its own point of focus amid the carnage and with such short songs, the samples and squealing feedback that often flow from one track into the next can make it hard to distinguish where one starts and another ends. Exciting Violence is a fucking hard record, with bile and disdain seeping through every crack. This is not a positive statement, with titles like “Crushed to Dust” or “Hang and Choke” and lyrics like “euthanize me” and “kill yourself”, it’s clear this is despondently angry music, a bleak statement on an unjust world. What’s also great is that it’s actually produced really well, which can make a nice change when listening to underground hardcore bands.
Stiff Meds play tight as hell and the sound is huge. This ten minute hardcore assault doesn’t ever let up and there isn’t an inch of fat to trim, anyone who enjoys hardcore punk of any style should check this out, you won’t be disappointed.
