ALBUM REVIEW: H.O.U.N.D.S – VILE

With 2021 growing ever smaller in the rear-view mirror, does that mean we leave everything that came with it behind? Much like mental scars, albums don’t lend themselves to time restraints. In the dimming light of 2021 hardcore outfit H.O.U.N.D.S released their debut album VILE.

VILE’s 28-minute run time is a tableau of the darkest side of human nature. Mankind’s imperfections are held under the hardcore microscope for an uncomfortable look at the world as we know it. Leaving us nowhere to hide, H.O.U.N.D.S harness the negative forces of self-destruction for ten tracks of carnal aggression.

Opening tracks are often the window to an album’s soul. If Die Before You Die is to follow that ethos – VILE is a soul in crisis. The collapse begins with the Jack Taylor’s spiralling melody. As Die Before You Die plunges into mental quandary, Ash Hoy’s screams read of a man on the brink. Slivers of isolated guitars weave through the tale of woe, manipulating the strings of our synapses. Staring into the abyss of our malady, the track is stripped to a single riff. “Pull me back from the edge” Hoy screams before we hurtle toward a breakdown both auditory and mental in nature.

While the vitriol could have stayed inward, Prey marks a shift of perspective. Perception holds VILE over two rabbit holes: blaming everyone except ourselves for our downfall or exposing the root cause of our despair. Opting for the latter, Prey is an example of unbridled rage. The duplicity of manifesting rage permeates through Taylor and second guitarist Dave Aitken’s dictation of energy. Flitting between a chaotic barrage of noise and a tight sludge-inspired riff makes for earworm food. The bridge steals the limelight with a stalking riff of divine malevolence. Hoy’s cry of “the hunt begins” accompanied with the riff’s amplification is a beautiful call to arms. Punctuated with a slightly-too-short bass section from Ben Paget, the song ends as abruptly as it began. The moment doesn’t slip away without Josh Lawrence’s decimating death roll like drums bringing Prey crashing down.

VILE depicts a soul at war with itself. The frenetic nature of VILE has H.O.U.N.D.S flirting with Occam’s Razor, shedding the skin of unlikely explanations for their rage. Driller Killer and 237 shift the condemnation outwards. Knowing the world isn’t black and white, Yellow Belly fits the scheme on the surface, but the façade falls after multiple listens. The uncomfortable instrumental of the third single holds a blade to our spines. H.O.U.N.D.S force us to investigate the darkest recesses of our minds and hope we aren’t the object of their spite.

The hatred seeping through VILE is plain to see. The crackle in Hoy’s voice as his breathe expires in Driller Killer illustrates how draining this level of anger can be. Though if you’re looking for an album which settles on a singular energy, this isn’t the one for you. S.H.I.T still languishes in the quagmire of our mentality. It has an unwillingness to sit in one spot. Bouncing between DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN levels of pandemonium and moments of melodical promise shows a potential H.O.U.N.D.S could capitalise on.

Capitalise they do. In more ways than one. Terrifier depicts a divergence in the album’s message. Venom oozes from the track in spades. Yet “I break away from your hands around my neck” tells not of violence but of breaking the ties that bind. The instrumental is uncomfortable as the power is stripped from the abuser. Rooting for the album’s protagonist “you don’t terrify me” hits like a freight train. A bitter pill to swallow is no one escapes a toxic situation unscathed. That sentiment in mind, album closer Break What’s Broken is especially poignant. Recruiting ILL NIÑO’s Marcos Leal for the ballad, H.O.U.N.D.S lend themselves to the fragility of a broken spirit. What should be a respite from the barrage of anger that’s been thrown at us breaks us in an entirely different way. Leal’s despondent tone is a double-edged sword as it not only holds pain but conveys the message of hope. While Leal’s dominating vocals should take away from the band and the idea of a featuring artist, it doesn’t. Hoy’s scream’s mesh within the chorus adding an edge of desperation we are all too familiar with. Purging emotions is intended to cleanse the soul. Yet this baptism of disgust doesn’t. VILE leaves us on the razor’s edge. Break What’s Broken isn’t the happily ever after we seek. What we find instead, however, is a flicker of hope. A single flame signifying this too shall pass.

The intention of a debut album is to introduce a band to the world. It’s a band’s only shot at making a first impression. VILE is indeed a statement piece. It can be argued H.O.U.N.D.S singles Beast and Snakes should have been on the base album. Would they have added to the weight of the punch? Yes. Yet their inclusion would have had this band resting on its laurels. Judging by the record in front of us – that simply isn’t in the vocabulary. This epoch within the H.O.U.N.D.S tapestry is one of honest brutality. Not only does this band intend to mark their territory as one to watch but may burst an ear drum or two along the way.

Score: 7/10

VILE is available now via Kingside Records.

For more information on H.O.U.N.D.S, like their official Facebook page.