‘盗まれた街, 資本の奴隷, 分断は続く, 音も無く’ / ‘A stolen city, Slaves to capital, The division continues, Silently’ (Colony)

Tokyo’s Klonns have released a slew of EPs since their formation in 2016, their palette constantly evolving as they absorbed influences from black metal to d-beat into their hardcore groundwater. However, for their debut album, last year’s Heaven, there was a clear sense of that palette being tightened and honed, a process that has been further reinforced on this their second full-length, G.A.M.E.S.

Their current iteration is leaner, less chaotic, yet this increased precision does not in any way dilute their base ferocity.  This is darkly metallic hardcore that seethes with menace and ominous intent.  The bleakly barked vocals, segueing seamlessly between Japanese and English, provoke thoughts of a blackened Roger Miret as they explore a world fracturing under the weight of greed and self-delusion.

Amid the waves of catchily surging riffage, there are two other aspects that seize attention.  The first is the unabashed bounce of the rhythm section, which injects an unexpected elasticity to the battery.  The second is Klonns’ sheer mastery of the breakdown.  Too often a fig leaf in the wrong hands, their deft handling of the mid-paced groove, and then the even slower reworkings, ensure that they slam home with an unforgiving intensity and impeccable timing.

This is an album that does not deal in half-measures.  The savage climatic breakdown to Pledge. The monolithic riffs that define False. The almost euphoric swagger of Fanatic. The stomping ferocity of Ghost.  The bruising swing of In The Seasons Of Terror.  It is the sound of a band absolutely nailing it.