Don’t expect much letup from Continents.
After their impressive debut album, Idle Hands, the Welsh five-piece are back with another dose of wall-to-wall aggression, peppered with catchy riffs, visceral anger and some seriously speedy drumming.
‘I deserve to suffer for what I have done!’ screams singer Phil Cross on Scorn, giving a taster of the kind of musical self-flagellation in store. That’s not a bad thing; Continents are abrasive and angry with aplomb. There’s an interlude in the form of short mid-album track I, which sees Phil screaming over the sound of rain and synth strings.
Reprisal is a slower number but still dark and brooding in sound, and the album gets momentarily more melodic. Awakening still packs a punch with Phil’s razor-edged vocals, but reverb and clean guitar lines add a sparkle that wasn’t there on the opening tracks. The Defeatist proves Continents can do groovy hardcore, while closing track II is a gloriously discordant buzz that signs off with a flourish.
