Hell, the - S/T [IMPORT] – New 7"

new self-titled 5-song EP from Cleveland’s the Hell. The four to-the-point rippers on the a-side pick up where the Hell’s 2023 album left off, fusing big riffs (see: “Liabilities” and “Circling the Drain”) with agile rhythmic shifts (“Cut the Chord”) and executing all of it at hardcore tempos. While these tracks have a similar energy to nihilistic punk-on-the-edge-of-hardcore like the Lewd or the Zero Boys, “Dirt Nap,” which occupies the entire b-side, takes the Hell’s sound to new places, soaking in eerie tension for several minutes before erupting into a brilliant, Buzzcocks-esque chiming chorus. Atop it all, the Hell’s vocalist sneers like a weary, middle-aged Darby Crash whose woes have only compounded as life has unfurled. The Hell speaks to the dismay and cynicism we all feel as part of a species in decline, but they also deliver the jolt of energy we need to face another day. -- Daniel Lupton.