Rating: 8/10
Genre: Hardcore/Metal
Hardcore has come a long way since its inception in the late eighties. These days hardcore is so far removed from Punk it is almost unrecognisable and now the term is applied to anything heavier than rock that fails to tick the boxes to be classed as metal. Hardcore has reached quite a boring phase as of late with so many bands out there throwing there hat into the ring relying on nothing but tight jeans an emo mullet dyed jet black with bleach blonde tips and a series of monotomous breakdowns. This is where Leeds based Chickenhawk come in and save the day. With their first release on Brew records (the same label that bring us the beautifully deranged hardcore of Kong and the epic Humanfly) Chickenhawk kick the living shit out the competition with Modern Bodies.
The album opens up with "Scorpieau" some strange digital sound that instantly crashes into a full out aural assault as squealing guitars screech over a heavy low end bass attack as the drums thunder along. The unhinged shouty screaming vocals of Paul Astick tie this all up very nicely, well I say nicely in all honestly it's almost so psychotic it's scary. The one thing that really seperates this band from the herd is the use of complicated time signatures, rests are used to devastating effect lulling you into a false sense of security before barraging with more lightning fast violence. Other aspects that work very well are the utterly sinister child like group vocals and the use of short interspersed shredding solo's and sci fi distortion. Highlights include the crashing symbols and screeching chorus of "Nasa VS Esa" and the utterly deranged 6 minute "Gravitronic Life-Ray Table" a song with more twists than you can shake a stick at. The only downside to the whole album is that much of the material is formed of rerecorded tracks from their self titled debut, although in balance the band line up has changed significantly enough that this is easily forgiven (The lead singer used to be lead singer and drummer).
Overall if you are looking for something to blow out the cobwebs between your ears this is a great release. If you are however of a nervous disposition this unhinged monster may not be to your liking. A great release from a band destined to do great things. Highly recommended to any metal or hardcore fan.
Download: "Nasa VS Esa" "I Hate This, Do You Like It"
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