Fullcount – Part of the Game

Quebec City technical punk outfit Fullcount might not be a household name in the punk community, but with the release of their second full length, Part of the Game, that may be about to change.  Playing an ambitious brew inspired by the metal-tinged melodic punk of A Wilhelm Scream, Mute, No Trigger and Propagandhi, the band’s work is an obvious love letter to the scene within which it is firmly nestled.

For those unfamiliar with with the quintet’s fast and furious style, opener “Back Against The Wall” serves as a no holds barred introduction.  Taking a full minute to lay down a breakneck tempo, the band ignites a swirling array of razor sharp riffs before further pummelling listeners with their uncanny vocal likeness to A Wilhelm Scream.  Cleanly delivered while maintaining enough red hot fury to cauterize any doubts, the band unleashes verse upon verse of guttural vocal force.  Tracks like “Killdozer” further embolden vicious soundscapes by way of explosive gang vocals, barking powerfully to reinforce lines of imminent destruction like, “time is counting, time is counting down!”  

When the band takes a moment to breathe, as per the opening and intermittent segments of “The Motion,” they temporarily scale back the intensity and unleash breakdowns and technical salvos indicative of the level of nuance embedded within the quintet’s songwriting.  But others are totally hard nosed and lock jawed, like “Dischord & Treachery,” which dives headlong into a shark tank of hardcore territory, while the sub-minute excretion “Maze Dream” pushes the band’s speed to the edge, marring melody in the name of messy punk rock indulgence.  As the album unravels, the band reinforces further comparisons to breakneck peers like Shirley D. Pressed, Brutal Youth, and Darko.  

Part of the Game is a highly technical, ambitiously expressive offering that feels as if it could jump the tracks at any moment.  Fullcount does a remarkable job of joining the fray with their sophomore effort, even if the band doesn’t necessarily break any new ground.  But if that was a point of contention to someone, I think they may have missed the point. Fullcount is a celebration of technical melodic punk with the skill and spirit to pull it off, making Part of the Game is an easy recommendation.