Single Review: Pissed On – The Hanged Man EP

Advocate Records unleashed The Hanged Man EP on the 3rd March, this is the latest release by Kentucky grindcore merchants, Pissed On, this quintet of tracks, that was recorded at Bricktop Recordings in Chicago, follows on from their debut release last year, a split EP with Street Rat. Whilst they only formed in 2015, Pissed On are quickly developing a reputation as a band that take no prisoners, both for their uncompromising studio recordings, and as an incendiary live act. The five tracks contained on the EP follow the mental anguish of a man in his final days, and the lyrics tell of his desperation as he awaits his execution.

The Hanged Man opens in brutal fashion with Reader, an intense sub one minute opener that recalls Extreme Noise Terror in full flow, this opener segues straight into Enter The Void which continues the relentless aural pounding. Zoetic Disgrace marks the halfway mark in the EP, this is the third in the series of short sharp shocks that have populated the first half of the EP, these tracks between them are done and dusted in less than four minutes. Shrivelled Minds is epic in comparison to the initial tracks, weighing in at over two minutes, this carries the same brutality but contains an extended pounding breakdown that acts a prequel to the EP’s title track, this is a somewhat slower affair that contains four minutes of slower sludgier grind that brings The Hanged Man to a confrontational close, and the tale to it’s inevitable end.

The Hanged Man is ten minutes of old school grindcore that is delivered without any compromise, as with any release from the various cores that punk has spawned, I will always feel that music of this nature is best experienced live, I find that the intensity of bands like Pissed On is lost in the recording studio, but having said that if your tastes are towards the extreme end of hardcore, or if you like to dabble in the world of extreme metal, then this is a band you need to take notice of, as I doubt there are many bands delivering the kind of extreme dark grind that Pissed On deliver on The Hanged Man.

Pissed On‘s Bandcamp can be found here