Album Review: American Standards – Anti-Melody

American Standards have been around since 2011, all the while they’ve been steadily building up a loyal following through their relentless tour schedule and intense live performances, including sharing stages with the likes of Every Time I Die, Norma Jean and The Dillinger Escape Plan. The chaotic hardcore quartet have now announced that their upcoming debut full length, Anti-Melody, that follows on from their 2012 debut release Still Life, is set to be released on April 28th and will be available via all digital music outlets.

Anti-Melody kicks off with the lead single, Writers Block Party, and it’s an instant wake up call of brutal thrash tinged hardcore that’s followed up by the spiky Carpe Diem, Tomorrow. This is not an album that becomes a relentless blur where the tracks merge into each other, each song on Anti-Melody has it’s own distinct character, from the intense Church Burner, that harks back to the crossover thrash of the 1980’s, through the slow burning Bartenders Without Wings and the intense Cancer Eater to the album’s pummelling epic, at least by hardcore standards, finale, Chicago Overcoat.

Anti-Melody is an album that delivers eight tracks that manage to span the differing styles of hardcore that have evolved over the years, all the while maintaining a consistently brutal approach on each track, American Standards maintain the spirit and anger of the first wave of hardcore bands, whilst bringing their own defiant spirit and style to Anti-Melody. Given the state of world politics and the rise of the far right, the defiant protest of the hardcore scene as never been as needed or as relevant as it is right now, and for me American Standards are right there on the front line.

Anti-Melody can be pre-ordered via American Standards Bandcamp here

The American Standards fanlink to all digital services and social media is here