Drych’s Wildly Energetic New Record Packs Triumphantly Intense Blackened Hardcore

On their debut, self-titled record, the Germany-based band Drych deliver what might as well be a soundtrack to a failing struggle to keep a violent beast contained. The group launches right into the meat of what they’ve got to offer. There are no intro tracks or full-on atmospheric interludes in sight, however welcome they may be elsewhere — instead, Drych perform a menacing blackened hardcore that blends the physical heft and rabid aggression of classic hardcore with the dramatic brutality and sheer physical force of some of the most intense black metal. (A brief slowdown on their song “greet” just heightens the drama.) The thick riffs and blast beats fly wildly around in their record’s absolutely teeming fifteen minute runtime. When the guitar segues burst through the storm, they pack dark power.

Drych include plenty of straightforwardly dissonant guitar screeches, too. As much as they deliver a consistent march forward, they also beef up the chaos of their songs pretty majorly, and it helps them hit hard. When adding in these elements that are new to the idea of straightforward hardcore, they didn’t really dial anything back. Nothing feels like just a garnish. Nope — these passionate performances deliver these menacing sonic elements in their grisly fullness, and it’s super memorable.

The meltdowns start from the very first moments. On the first track, called “From graft,” only after initial chaotic spirals alternating between frantic blast beats and jagged guitar bursts that feel a bit like lashes to the back do Drych get to a bit more of a driving, more defined rhythm. But they never stay there too long. Also on just that very first track, when the band launch into another sonic maelstrom pockmarked by a brutal beat regally ringing out, the music can’t help but feel epic.

Stylistically, this self-titled Drych record feels fresh. The sound feels somewhat reminiscent of that thick and hefty but caustic so-called Bremen hardcore sound that seems to mix brutal riffs with more caustic, screamo-esque tones, but Drych have delivered a particularly attention-grabbing elevation of these elements. The concluding, sludgy portions on their new record feel like the perfect finishing touch to help accent the chaos.

5/5 Stars

Check out the music below! It’s out via Pike Records, whose vinyl copies are at this link. The band features members of Elmar, ISWH, and Aslov Kinski, who’ve been performing together for years.