Damagers

Damagers

Victory

Deranged

Toronto’s Damagers are forcibly writing another chapter in the Deranged story. After joining the stable of crucial Canadians, these Ontario rabble rousers released an absolute fire self-titled EP in the fall of 2017. Victory, their ‘2019’ follow up, is a five song blur of hardcore punk that owes as much to the rambunctious, snotty punk of their more melodic label mates as it does early US and world hXc. Victory opens violently. It takes mere seconds before “You Say” explodes into a perfect buzzsaw guitar riff. With vocals that alternate between guttural and bilious, there’s an inherent danger rarely found in music this damn catchy. At it’s best, it recalls a more muscular Career Suicide or leaner Poison Idea, spitting phrases with nihilistic flare. They manage to juxtapose melody and sheer hardcore ferocity in tightly wrapped two minute bangers. As quickly as “You Say” kicks the door down, it’s ransacked  your house and fled to pillage elsewhere. The following track “Social Control” finds me lost in hyperbole. Beginning with an utterly devastating and perfect bass tone, the first two notes had me humming Gang of Four’s Damaged Goods. Alas, it’s the ultimate fakeout. By the third string pluck, it’s clear they’ve upped the ante and penned a note perfect hardcore song. It’s a masterclass in USHC, indebted to the backward glance and the right fucking now. Though sonically unique in attack, there’s a contemporary lean to their classic-informed sound. It’s not difficult to marvel at the sheer number of punk...

Damagers

S/t

Deranged

New Toronto band of familiar faces playing rough and ready HC punk indebted to early to mid-eighties international hardcode, not far from what would have been on Welcome To 1984 and All’s Quiet On The Western Front. Empty, ugly, loud and fast. Live for no one, love for everyone.