Serial Bowl Records
SBR009
Ballpeen (not to be confused with the similarly-named Ballpein band) come from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK and this EP is their first offering. By all accounts the guys have been in countless bands before, so this gathering is hardly new at all this lark. Describing themselves as hardcore/noise rock is an accurate phrase. I’d go one step further and say they have a really heavy sound as well, with a groove all of its own.
This EP has 6 tracks on it – the first of which, “Iris Brickfield”, slaps the listener around a bit with its mixture of fast punchy verses and the ‘slow-mosh-immense-decay’ chorus sections. “Butchers Arms” is next, continuing the assault with a great-sounding drum set I’ll admit. “Ratboy” brings the pace down a tad, crunching, heavy and dystopian it grooves along like a machine. “Zero Interest” is next, stomping along nicely. “One Week in June” is the penultimate track and after a slowish start, picks up pace and brutalises for the remainder of what is their longest track here. “Cielo Drive” finishes off the EP and the barrage of drums is so heavy in places it gets this reviewer’s head nodding along in time.
All-in-all a great debut release. Looking forward to their split with Pre-Birds (alos reviewed on here) and seems like a good match for a split release for sure!
Get is here: https://serialbowlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ballpeen-6-track-ep-2
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