Taken by Force
No Masters
1054
Release Date: 20 February 2016
Review by Alex Sievers
Five songs. 13 minutes. That is all it takes for Newcastle’s Taken by Force to crush your bones into f*cking dust. While their latest EP is almost over before it begins, it’s one ludicrously heavy and crunchy, metallic beast, and one that you should really check out.
There, that is my glowing endorsement of this release.
However, if I’m being honest, it is more brawn than brains most of the time. But then again, sometimes you just need some meat and potatoes hardcore to really get the blood flowing. From the self-titled opening track up until Saviour rounds the EP off, the pace nor the tone changes, and that’s both to the detriment and the benefit of No Masters.
It’s heavy and consistent but it just lacks that hint of diversity that makes great hardcore releases truly great. Even when Jorge Rosado from New York band, Merauder pops up on the penultimate track, Face of Death, for a quick guest spot. That’s really the only thing that changes; with the riffs, vocal styles, and song structures all remaining the same. Going at just the one pace is fine, but that pace needs to be pretty exceptional to work, and this just misses the mark slightly.
