Black Mask – s/t
Do you want to punish your ears even more? Aren’t you satisfied yet with the stellar new records from Nails and All Pigs Must Die and are you looking for another record to fill 2013’s trilogy of bands with roots in hardcore who make a mix of crust, grind, metal and doom? Look no further, Black Mask will fulfill all your needs.
Black Mask’s same titled debut LP for Reflections is a true crusher. Opening track ‘Exctincion’ leaves no room for misinterpretation. This American band isn’t about subtlety and the total opposite of elevator music. Black Mask is physical anger and hatred brought in pure rage.
However Black Mask is more. Songs like ‘Hollow Soul’ and ‘The Greys’ are a bit less heavy and put more swing into a record that would otherwise feel like a kick in the stomach. Songs like these do make the whole album a bit more easy to swallow for people like me who do like this kind of music, but not enough to sit through two whole days of a grind festival like Bloodshedfest without brushing my teeth or getting a shower.
Just like Nails and All Pigs Must Die, it shows every now and then that they’re a band that partly came from hardcore roots. Live they even reminded me a bit of The Hope Conspiracy.
As one can expect from a Reflections release the record comes with superb artwork and a great poster. Though Black Mask might not yet be a well known name like Nails or All Pigs Must Die, this same titled record is a force on itself and should be able to gain quite some momentum in the hardcore, crust, grind, whatever loud music scene.
Back to reviews overview