Metal/hardcore five-piece Black Coast bring an intensely spirited sound to their recent release. Ill Minds Vol 2 is the fiery follow up to 2018’s Ill Minds Vol 1, an explosive EP that ignites hard-hitting harmonies and hardcore punk influences, all the while integrating instrumentals inspired by Canadian collective Counterparts and US metallers Beartooth. The cohort commence their diligent graft in the music industry, tirelessly touring with support slots for New Yorkers Stray From The Path and musical duo King 810, and from debut EP Crows Of The North to Ill Minds Vol 1, the quintet have enticed endorsements by Black Star Amps, Jackson Guitars and northern brewers Yorkshire Tea. Continuing on, the band are bulldozing down the boundaries of metallic hardcore with the delivery of the second instalment of the Ill Minds Vol series, fast becoming ones to watch over their short three-year career.
Track one Act II is a relentless three-minute endurance of unstoppable riffs and uncontrollable chants. Opening with a While She Sleeps-esque, ear shockingly electrifying riff, dramatic drums and sharply spat vocals courtesy of frontman Charlie Hewitt. Act II‘s captivating and catchy chorus calls for ferocious lyrics that confidently demand the singer’s insistent clamorous desires.
Toning down the vocals and turning up the guitar and bass driven melodies, Solace is one of the more tranquil tracks on the five-song EP. An echoing introduction enrols calming ambient chords and relaxing melodic riffs, that continue throughout the short song. Prior to the previous number, Diablo is a song stylistically arranged to curate an off-piste structure. Immediate waves and fades of sounds are torn into by a mosh-pit worthy middle of instrumental breakdowns, yet this duo of tracks pair together on the surface to share serene similarities.
Picking up the pace short of where Act II‘s heaviness left off, Weird necessitates Hewitt’s screaming tone which transmits effervescent energy and raging charisma. His screaming technique hold imperishable consistency, post a brief commencement of an ever-evolving and constantly changing dexterous guitar and drum combo. Tempo’s flair and riffs get raw, all to the mastery of Joe Mayer and Scott Pinnington‘s guitar work, Jack Beardsall‘s bass lines and Matt Clarke‘s drum patterns, which protrude through the piercing vocals to stand up as the standout song of the EP.
Lastly Lost My Limits throws vocals to the foreground that voice an apathetic narrative and don’t seek approval. They take take an “I don’t care” attitude as the dominant lyrical theme. Portrayed through Hewitt’s tone, an unbreakable and unstoppable singing spiel throughout the track’s heavy verses, colossal choruses complete Black Coast‘s second EP instalment.
Striving for step ups and paving the way for progression from the early beginnings of Crows of the North, Black Coast continue on their relentless rise through the ranks of the metallic hardcore scene, with the wonderfully whopping Ill Minds Vol 2 seconding their scaling success.
8.5/10
Standout Tracks: Weird, Diablo, Solace
For Fans Of: Death Remains, MSRY, Gallows
Written by: Katie Conway-Flood
