A new group, simply known as Hatchingwas founded with members from various death metal and grindcore bands. The debut album Summer ’69 (Selfmadegod Records) and it’s full throttle for thirty-three minutes. Bringing in their earlier influences and dumping them on crossover foundations, it’s quite a demolition derby of sound.
“Who’s The Foe Today” was the first track that immediately grabbed my attention and held it for the entire track (almost five minutes). The guitar riffs are everything I love about thrash metal, but the layering with the underlying grindcore aggression is quite a mix.
“Scapegoat” is another song that will grab your attention as it combines a solid D-beat with awesome guitar riffs that will make you want to raise your fist and run in circles. This might also be one of the faster tracks on Summer of ’69, so make sure you stretch thoroughly before you run into the pit for this song.
“Fascist By Design” is the only track that hits the five minute mark, but it’s definitely not a lengthy song. The intro definitely felt like a shoutout to Stormtroopers of Death, but then quickly falls into the dirty speed and aggression that Hatchen has been pounding into your ears up until that point. Right at the two minute mark, there’s a nice rhythm section that should bring in the heavy hitters in the pit to give the circle pit goers a break, but not a long one.
Overall, this is a fun album with a very formulaic approach that they execute well. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’s definitely worth the half hour to get your pulse racing and your head banging. I do like it when there’s a bit more variety, though, or even just a few, so I can tell the songs apart. Regardless of the criticism, I hope Hatchend can bring this aggressiveness and speed to a local venue.
Buy the album here:
https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/summer-of-69
7 / 10
TIM LEDIN
