Outclassed

Frenetic, mathy hardcore can be a fickle mistress. Carefully balancing technicality with listenablity is a task for which most bands unfortunately are just not cut out. Fortunately for all of us, Pittsburgh, PA quintet Outclassed pull it off rather well on their EP, This Might Be Coincidence....

Raw energy just permeates from each song on this release, and opener "Kick God in the Face, Hail Satan" is the proverbial table-setter, combining impressive musicianship with a sense of organized chaos -- a sound that, at times, makes you wonder if even the band themselves know what's coming next. Throaty vocals and interesting drum fills abound.

If anyone remembers Sex Positions, one listen to "The Amputeed Hand Book" ought to conjure up memories of that great band. The song takes things into even more disjointed territory, with drums pounding and crashing before delving into a jazzy interlude that, yes, is a little Dillinger Escape Plan-esque. Two name-drops in one sentence, I know, but that's what I hear when I listen to this.

"Hey Dudes, Stop Wreckin All the Bikes!" is a shorter, more urgent affair, rife with machine-gun drum fills and driving guitar parts, completed with some downright scathing dual vocals. Cymbals crash seemingly every second in "Truck Mark," but surprisingly the song never sounds too busy; the slughtly more subdued interludes found in the song surely help this.

This Might Be Coincidence... comes to a close with "Missing Teeth," and it's an appropriate choice. The song's foundation is more straightforward and melodic than anything else here, but on top of said foundation there's quite a bit of screaming that when paired with dramatic start-stop instrumentation sounds quite impressive. The song ends with a shoutalong drenched in feedback that's a strong way to close the EP.

Anyone in the mood for some energetic, proficient, intelligent hardcore would be well-served to give This Could Be Coincidence... a spin.