Baltimore Are A Sick Band, And Here's Why...

Baltimore: any and all fans of Defeater, Beartooth and Gallows need only apply inside.

Just the other night, on Saturday, April 29th, I went along with a good friend of mine (he knows who he is) to catch a show at Melbourne’s small but homey, vibe-filled Wrangler Studios.

The gig featured local purveyors of intensity Starting Fires and NSW's Hails From Infinity (who are both very solid), as well as fellow locals Cold Sleep and Melton headliners For What It’s Worth (who are both not so solid).

After the show had concluded, I was chatting with Matt Ozoliņš  - the vocalist for Hails From Infinity - and a few others outside of the Footscray/Tottenham venue, who mid-conversation piped up and ran over to his car to give me some random band’s CD. What he came back over to me with was ‘Room With A View’, the 2016 debut EP from a Sydney band called Baltimore. Ozoliņš talked this local group - who I had never heard of before - up greatly and pointed out that under his zip up hoodie he was actually wearing one of their shirts, declaring how awesome they were live.

In my position, I figured what would be the harm in checking these guys out - as I love finding new bands, whether I come to really like them or utterly loathe them - and I graciously accepted this gifted CD. And now, after spending some quality time with 'Room With A View' today, I can safely say that yes, Baltimore are indeed a sick band, for lack of a better desciption.

[caption id="attachment_1091997" align="alignnone" width="760"] Man, the 'Room With A View' artwork is just beautiful & striking. Just look at it - the cover's sense of depth is just engrossing![/caption]

But before going any further, some introductions and context must be provided. Baltimore is comprised of long-haired vocalist and cathartic lyricist Tom Thorne, guitarist, EP designer and brother to the frontman Daniel Thorne, groovy bassist and backing vocalist Nick Dryden, and the very recently added drummer Ben Moras (with the drumming on this particular EP performed by one Bradley De Leon). ‘Room With A View’ was produced, engineered and mixed by The Dead Love's own Stevie Knight over at Sydney’s lovely Electric Sun Studios - where the EP was also tracked in early 2016 - and it was then mastered by Dave Petrovic.

Cool, now that those pleasantries are all out of the way, on with the show and this band's actual music.

This New South Wales hardcore quartet obviously doesn't reinvent the heavy music wheel - very few can, to be honest - but they utilise said wheel very well. Baltimore sonically shares much in common with bands from the international big leagues like Defeater, Beartooth, and the post-Frank Carter era of Gallows (read: the best era of Gallows - fight me, Internet). This Sydney four-piece also display plenty of heart and gritty soul in their music, and as their online bio’s put it, they "write angry songs about sad things by happy people”, and their not wrong in that self-analysis! From the punchy, raging intro of opener 'Voices', the driving, and wearily emotional open-diary that is second track and lead single 'Impermanence', to my personal favourite that is the banging fourth song 'Empty Days'; this band's music encompasses your ears in a vice-like grip and doesn't let go until final notes and guitar feedback of closing track 'Relapse' ring out.

Another aspect that works quite well in Baltimore's favour is the brevity of their music. Only one song out of the five - 'Relapse' - goes over the three-minute mark, ensuring that overall, this EP remains loud, in your face but also succinct in its runtime and delivery. Simply put, this 13-minute long EP is indeed worthy of your ever-fleeting time upon this Earth!

Now, whether it was due to the mere fact that this band's lifespan is not even at three years yet; their lack of live shows down here in my native Victoria and Melbourne; or just through simply never hearing of their name via the grapevine that is the local Australian hardcore scene, I'm now very glad to have discovered Baltimore.

So, finally, cheers to old mate Ozoliņš for the solid recommendation and you can stream ‘Room With A View’ in full below – it’s really quite good – and you can (and should) purchase it here!

PC: Blake Wilson Photography.