Hailing from Milwaukee, Protestant are one of the few original hardcore DIY bands out there and this release, containing their Make Peace With the Rope You Hang From, album as well as their split with Rhinocharge and a self released CD-R Highlight their creepy, sludgy, caustic and off kilter take on hardcore.

After the intro that sounds like an 80’s horror film, “Fuck Me Eyes” opens up into a more antagonistic track that grinds and oozes with a very anti hardcore aesthetic before the dirgy title track from Make Peace…. and “You Have Beautiful Dead Children” with its doomy/drony climax shows a surprising grasp of both punk/hardcore from the early 90’s (Turmoil, Integrity, Earth Crisis) and grind that would have fit in during the late 80’s early 90’s. “Monuments” has the band adding some post rock ambience and build to their raw, scathing sound while “Crying On Your Own Time” add the crawling dirt to the end or the track rather than the beginning. “As Dead As We Look” cranks up the fury a bit, especially vocally.

There seems to be a slight improvement in production as the LP moves into the split and self released material, but it’s no less dark and vitriolic, with the same mix of primal acidic hardcore and more experimental throes as heard on the impressive “Salt of the Earth Wants Us Dead”.

If you are sick of Hot Topic hardcore for kids, go ahead and grab this (cheap) release from the fledgling Halo Of Flies and really support ‘the scene’.

[Visit the band's website]

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