REVIEW: Honest Crooks – The Sounds of Hell [2023]
Artist: Honest Crooks
Album: The Sounds of Hell
For a time, there was silence. We were granted—no, gifted—a reprieve from an intense and primal gnashing of tooth and skin; bone and flesh. While countless others have risen, enjoyed a vacant limelight, none had the same visceral, ingenious flair that Honest Crooks—arguably one of Australia’s finest exports in the world of hardcore-infused metalcore—so proudly boasted. And now, after far too long, they have returned in a gnarled, dissonant and crushing mass of aggression titled The Sounds of Hell. Combining huge metallic riffs and atmospheres with the punch and pointed aggression of hardcore, the band erupt back into prominence, promptly puncturing gaping wounds in the listener’s eardrums in the process. The Sounds of Hell is an aptly named and immolating Goliath of sound that rends skin from fascia with furiously fretted leads to only moments later grind bone to dust with barbaric breakdowns, scratching the itch for a hellishly heavy barnburner to usher the new year in by. If this is your first time meeting Honest Crooks—and for many, it very well may be—there’s never been a better time.
Is it metalcore? Metallic hardcore? Neither or both? I suppose one could hem and haw about the nuances between the genres and which one Honest Crooks falls in, but in reality, it doesn’t really matter—they may as well check both boxes with the combination of malicious metallic influence and hard-headed hardcore they bring to The Sounds of Hell. From the onset of “Welcome Home,” the listener is greeted with drums that roar like cannons, and guitars that chug and whir with the menace and grit of a rusty chainsaw—but are capable of precise, punishingly sharp riffs and fretwork all in one. “The Cure,” as well as the album’s title track, are two such examples of this—taking turns bombarding the listener with kick-drum heavy drum patterns laden with meaty, crushing chugs and fast-paced footwork that underscores keenly metallic guitar with a snappy, strong bass. Other songs—like “…and The Skies are Filled with Fire”—serve only to immolate, engulfing the listener in eerie, ominous aggression that pounds and pounds until the listener is left a bizarre and misshapen flesh pancake. This instrumental dynamism defines Honest Crooks—proving that whether it be to impress the listener with instrumental prowess or impale them on a bastion of genre-defining breakdowns, this Australian act are beyond adept at achieving their goal. The album’s closing track, “Burn Eternal” serves as the idyllic culmination of their dynamic, slowly building from a crushing, doom-tinted introduction and ending in uproarious, guitar-heavy and explosive brutality. In that way, “Burn Eternal” captures the crux of Honest Crooks and what their modest discography has built up to, cementing itself not only as one of the strongest songs of The Sounds of Hell, but also of the band’s career to date.
Just as The Sounds of Hell is a lesson in instrumental intensity, it also boasts a commanding—and fearsome—vocal performance. With seven full tracks of vicious, low-timbered roars to choose from, it’s hard to highlight any one instance where Honest Crooks truly shine over any other—which is a complement to the consistency of their vocal element. A personal favorite, “The Cure,” sees a creative candor playing off of some of the closest moments we get to “calm” from Honest Crooks (spoiler alert, its not very calm). Other songs—the aforementioned “Burn Eternal”—are simply juggernauts, with constant vocal oppression mirroring the immense instrumental effort put forth on an otherwise perfect combination of metal, metalcore and hardcore. To nitpick, more variety in range might have added a touch more depth to moments of The Sounds of Hell, which, while not truly needed, would have been appreciated. Ultimately, Honest Crooks set out to unleash pure aggression, and the band’s vocal element and lyricism delivers that in spades, leaving it hard to ask for much more.
It had been a long time since I’d heard from Honest Crooks, as both a long time supporter and reviewer. Truthfully, I’d figured they just…dissolved. Went the way of the Dodo, so to speak—but I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong. The Sounds of Hell is a crushing release, and it absolutely refuses to compromise in any way, shape or form. While some might just view it a fix while waiting for the new Justice for the Damned joint (don’t get me wrong, I’m also waiting), it is much more than that—it is an immense and rich installment in a talented band’s journey—and more so, it is a defining record for metalcore in 2023.
9/10
For Fans Of: Justice for the Damned, Kublai Khan, Bodysnatcher, Sentenced 2 Die, Hatebreed
By: Connor Welsh
