Radio War play a brand of hardcore that will have you second-guessing your comparisons. One moment, the band is implanted firmly within the realm of a band like Dead Hearts -- the next, they're noticeably faster and somewhat thrashier.

I'm basically talking about Side A of the band's The Rising of the Talentless 7", though. The brooding, dark and combustible nature of opener "The Boy Gangs of Richmond" brings the Dead Hearts similarity to mind, especially with a first line describing one of the five senses' reactions to urban life ("the city smells like gunpowder on days like these"). Yet next, "Needful Things" finds a tempo suddenly matching the intensity; one particular line's delivery reminds me exactly of Celebrity Murders ("I'm constantly surrounded by human detritus"). Then during the closer, "They Live!," I get kind of a Ruiner vibe, mostly due to the opening riff that's rather reminiscent of Ruiner's "Getting Over the Overs."

Still, Radio War straddle that line well. The Rising of the Talentless is plenty diverse without going too over the top. It could use some fleshing out and less obvious moments (by coincidence or not), but the songs are well-recorded and overall there's a solid EP here.

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The Boy Gangs of Richmond
Needful Things