EP Review: Locked In – Not Dead Yet

Italian hardcore five-piece Locked In have returned after a seven year hiatus with their brand new EP “Not Dead Yet” that is now available digitally via Epidemic Records, that band have also confirmed that they will releasing another EP later this year. Locked In were originally formed in 2007 and became a fixture on the European punk scene before suddenly coming to a full stop in 2013, that might have been the end of their story, but the desire play together drew them back together. They unleashed the single ‘Dying City‘, their first new material in seven years, just ahead of the EP’s release at end of the longest year in living memory.

Whilst Locked In have retained the spirt and energy of the original incarnation of the band, but there is something else thrown into the mix, the five tracks are delivered in fifteen minutes that assimilates differing styles and influences into their brutal hardcore soundtrack. From the raw bruising opener ‘Scandal” it’s clear that this is still a remorseless blast of gutteral intense hardcore, this is followed by circle pit generator of ‘Viper Field‘ and the abrasive lead single ‘Dying City‘. The “Not Dead Yet” EP ends with the duo of ‘No Faith‘ and ‘Godspeed‘, two tracks that embrace wider influences and bring a broader spectrum of sonic assault to the fore, but without sacrificing their hardcore roots.

If ever there was a year that was going to generate a cathartic hardcore scream and bring the majority of the punk scene together it was 2020, although 2021 appears to have the potential to be equally traumatic, and it’s no coincidence that it was this year that Locked In came back from the wilderness. However, “Not Dead Yet” is not just a defiant primal scream at the many issues in the world, it also serves a much needed cathartic howl into the void, both of which are equally valid reactions given the state of the world at this moment in time.

The “Not Dead Yet” EP can be streamed and purchased here