Guiding – Will / Anger MLP

Artist: Guiding

Title: Will / Anger

Release: MLP (Pre-Order)

Year: 2023

Label: Chopstick Records

Tokyo hardcore project Guiding burst onto the scene with their debut EP Will, released on tape by US-based Extinction Burst Records. The label’s press release states that Guiding are exactly what hardcore needs in 2023, playing an eclectic mix that brings us back to fast hardcore, with memory receptors lighting up voraciously as the mind recalls Wide Awake and Mindset alongside Death Side and Systematic Death. In May 2023, Guiding returned with their second EP Anger, which continued their energetic sound, taking the best from both worlds of American ‘youth crew’ and Japanese hardcore.

Guiding is currently not a live band, but a two-piece project formed by Isao and KM, who played together in a band called Distance, as well as many other bands individually. However, they don’t rule out the possibility of more people joining and developing into a proper live band. The songs are all produced at Isao’s house, but the vocals are recorded at the rehearsal studio. In the beginning, Guiding didn’t have a place to rehearse, so they used Isao’s bathroom, which is the most soundproof room in the house. Nevertheless, both demos sound just great enough to pound the floor in your room. The tracks on both records are really fast and full of stomping energy. The song structures follow the typical youth crew canon, but you can occasionally hear hints of bands like Death Side, Forward, and Crude in some of the guitar work and especially in the vocals. 

Thanks to the tapes released by Extinction Burst and many people discovering the band through Bandcamp and YouTube uploads, Guiding will finally be released on vinyl. Chopstick Records from London, who specialize in releasing Japanese hardcore in the UK, are working on a mini-LP that will include both Guiding EPs crammed into a single 10-inch with obi belt and lyric insert. The alternative artwork for this exclusive UK release was created by Lee Jones, who is a Japanese hardcore fanatic himself, but has also been involved in the UKHC scene for many years. Mag from Chopstick Records says that she is really happy to see bands like Guiding come along and bring that fresh, angry attitude to the hardcore scene. She stumbled upon Guiding a bit by accident, but the impression she got was that their energy could rip the roof off!

The label is currently running a pre-order that will end very soon, so you’ll have to act fast if you want to grab a copy.

Source: diyconspiracy.net