‘Swept under the rug, Locked in the chest, Feed us your crumbs, Like we’re your fucking pet, Endorsed false promises, Years of blatant lies’ (Refuse To Comply)

Reek Minds, who share members with fellow Portlanders Alienator, are back with a new six-track EP and follow-up to their excellent 2024 full-length, Malignant Existence.  If you have not yet had the pleasure, Reek Minds revel in fast, nasty 1980s’ US hardcore delivered with the venomous convulsions of the very best power violence and, this time round at least, with a certain dash of rock’n’roll swagger.

Unvarnished speed remains at the band’s heart, yet they equally revel in whiplash tempo changes and unleashing groove laden breakdowns with a brutal abandon.  The key is the deftness with which these twists are marshalled.  They feel wholly instinctual, fiercely organic, which ensures that coherency is never sacrificed.  Amid this uncompromising onslaught, the hoarsely growled vocals – death metal tinged yet with a hardcore cadence – dissect a world rooted in economic exploitation and narcissistic self-interest.

The number of ideas that are used and tossed aside in such a short time span is enough to make those of us less inventive weep, but it ensures that not a moment is wasted.  The choppy groove that propels Refuse To Comply, the rabid fury of Desolate, and the admirably full-throated solo that fuels the absolutely crushing climax to Aesthetic are particular highlights.  The EP closes with a splendid hidden cover of Blinding Light by Bedford anarcho-punks Legion Of Parasites, taken from their 1985 album, Prison Of Life!