Kerpow! Kerblam! Kaboom! Those explosive references are in parallel to the cries emitted by my stereo speakers after dealing with this gorilla of a hardcore album. DOWNPOUR is a five piece band based in Atlanta, GA that packs one viscious sound, bustling of double bass thunder, dual guitar devastation, and growly vocals that rise both above and below the sound barometer. I guess a good comparison would be INDECISION, but a wee bit faster, and a heck of a lot louder overall. I don’t quite know what it is that this band does that makes the music seem so much heavier than their contemporaries, but holy guacamole, “Footsteps Over Our Heads,” seems like one giant bombing experience straight out of World War II. There’s a lot more to DOWNPOUR however than their ability to make you go deaf – the lyrics are dead on, and the artwork, and overal artistic impression is very cool. Taking a cue from INDECISION, among others, these guys describe the meanings of their songs in a short blurb beforehand, which helps a lot to see where these guys are coming from, giving the vivid imagery and metaphorical takes in the lyrics. Song eight, “Bridges are for Burning,” is the overall stunner of the disc, and really, this song makes this worth seeking out alone. Although the artwork only lists 8 songs, there’s another five tacked on that appear to be material from a prior ep, including a cover of “My War.” In all, there’s 13 songs in 25 minutes that bust out the gut like few others. I believe you can get this disc from Eulogy Record since they have some deal with Alveran (from Germany).

Alveran/Eulogy

www.eulogyrecordings.com