EP REVIEW: Breathe/Rust – WHEREVER THERE IS MAN

loud, abrasive, raw, but never boring. Breathe/Rust know how to create pure adrenaline in sonic form, leading to an EP that is a concise and consistently fun experience

Author’s Note: Day 2 of Catch-Up Week, when I review a bunch of records I never got around to earlier this year. Happy reading! Or unhappy reading, it’s a free country – Ryan

Author’s Note #2: This EP was formerly known as EP1, or self-titled. As of May 2024, this has been changed. The title of this review has been updated, but the contents remains the same, hence any naming discrepancies! – Ryan

The southwest of England is home to many things. Gorgeous scenic views, unique and historical cultures, incredible rustic food, and the most violently aggressive music scene in the entire British Isles.

From emoviolence to straight forwards hardcore punk, there is a visceral bloody heartbeat to the music that pools out from this region, championed by the likes of Hollow Life Records who are hard at work preserving this cultural movement on physical media. One of their releases earlier this year came in the form of the debut EP from hardcore outfit Breath/Rust, simply titled ‘EP1’.

Certainly, there’s all the brash aggression that you would expect from a hardcore band right here, with percussion that threatens to rupture your eardrums and down-tuned, guttural guitars that slam into you over and over again. But what makes Breathe/Rust truly shine is their subtle penchant for the melody and groove that adds a gentle amount of complexity to their sonic rampage.

Take the opening track ‘Breathe’. Opening with wailing feedback before vaulting into a gratifying sonic onslaught, the track rockets by before slowing into a gloomy, doom-laden bridge. The climax is a ferociously anthemic moment with strangely optimistic lyricism juxtaposing the apocalyptic instrumentation.

’Violent Aggressor’ is practically begging for you to bust out your finest hardcore dancing, especially with its simple but magnificent breakdown. ‘New Bloom’, on the other hand, is pure circle pit material with its unrepentant percussion and killer guitar lines, before cascading into a midsection that wouldn’t go amiss in the deathcore world.

‘EP1’ is loud, abrasive, raw, but never boring. Breathe/Rust know how to create pure adrenaline in sonic form, leading to an EP that is a concise and consistently fun experience that not only appeals to those who like their music as heavy as possible, but acts as a superb gateway for those looking to push their music tastes to more extreme areas.

RATING: 76/100 – Mostly Very Good

For Fans Of: Frail Body, Death Goals, Dreamwell, Knut

Physical copies of the EP are available here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify