Britain certainly has the knack for producing good hardcore. Yet, arguably, our friends across the pond still lead the way in the aggressive sub-genre. Their record for exporting hard-hitters is impeccable, but the British brew has character and distinction. Lock & Key’s debut full-length, Peaceless, shows that we can keep up.
Hostile is the intimidating entrance essential on a record like this. The 4-minute bruiser rip-roars through riffs to lay down the marker, and vocalist Rich Larner shows his worth from the off. It’s all fairly standard stuff, but it will be a hit on the live circuit and the line “You fucking cockroach” will no doubt print its way on to back of their next merchandise range.
Burning Bridges is equally unforgiving, but a splash of melody does filter in despite the absence of clean vocals. In fact, the remainder of the record is comparably relentless, and they barely take a breather in its 40-minute lifespan; no more or no less than expected, though.
In parts, Peaceless can fall victim to complacency on occasion. The outro to Turn Your Back On Me severly lacks invention – the genre deserves more than yelling “You won’t break me” over a basic, half-time breakdown – and Sean Midson’s guest appearance on No Justice fails to slam down anything new on the table.
Lock & Key will have achieved their aims with Peaceless. It’s angry, jaw-droppingly heavy, crisply produced, and nurtures the British charm and character aforementioned. For a debut, the record is pretty impressive, and is a solid follow-up to 2014’s EP, The Divide. They’ll be big players in the UK scene, at least.
7/10
Standout Track: Burning Bridges
For Fans Of: Obey The Brave
Written by: Matt Borucki
