Metal’s decade-spanning history has always seen an ongoing pursuit for faster, heavier and more intense forms of audial devastation. So many new sub-subgenres and madcap experimental concoctions have been formed whilst striving for this elusive goal. After half a century, we’re surely now reaching boiling point. From the frenzied realms of grindcore and the grotesquery of death metal to the ultra-nihilist devastation of sludge, it’s hard to imagine just where heavy music could go next. And in fact, the heaviest and most brutal bands right now are those who deviate from the norm, catching listeners off guard by challenging conventions and ignoring perceived genre boundaries in favour of doing things their own way.
The indefinable chaos spewed into existence by UK duo Victim Unit is exemplary of this exact philosophy. The band’s pitch-black merging of industrial punk, razor-sharp grind and piercing harsh noise is absolutely feral, the unpredictability of its rabid assault ensuring that it’s a hell of a lot more than the sum of its disparate parts. The two-piece’s new EP, Hopeless Failure, out July 3rd through Affair Records (cassette) and Hibernacula Records (digital) is an exacting ordeal that’s genuinely capable of offering the one elusive thing all heavy music fans are constantly searching for – a shocking, brutal bout of music that hits hard and never relents.
“Hopeless Failure is a painful introspective look at the emotional damage caused by trauma,” explains Lotta, one half of the band, whilst the other half, Danny, divulges more about the birth of their chaotic sound: “Hopeless Failure combines both of our influences but also expands into a sound I never thought we would be capable of creating, I feel like we’ve genuinely created depressive, aggressive noise.”
That they have, and luckily you can hear the EP in full right here before its official release on Friday. Enjoy!
Hopeless Failure is out 3rd July on Affair Records and Hibernacula Records. Order the cassette tape here or for the digital download click here.
Words: George Parr
