‘I refuse to fall in line, And live my life submissive and blind, No high king in the clouds for me, Your last day is your reality’ (Last Breath)

Denver’s Negative Degree were initially active in the 2010s, releasing two EPs before going on hiatus in 2017.  Just before they did so, they actually recorded a third EP, and it has now been released as the perfect primer for the band’s return to action.

The four rampaging tracks capture their almost timeless style, one rooted in 1980s USHC, yet also spiced with a more contemporary youth crew sensibility.  The delivery is as high octane as that would imply, with a keen eye for tension ratcheting builds, and brimming with a fiercely urgent intensity.

The impassioned, rasping vocals tackle the oppressive influences of religion and the self-serving political consensus that laid the groundwork for the rise of authoritarian opportunists, as well as the relentless militarisation of the police.  The tautly bristling Last Breath and the barrelling Beat The Crowds land with a particular velocity.