Album Review: Reality Grip - 'Mind Strife'

9 May 2016 | 3:47 pm | Alex Sievers
Originally Appeared In

Hardcore music with a message.

More Reality Grip More Reality Grip

Hardcore music is perhaps one of the best musical outlet's in which bands and punters alike can exhaust their inner most demons within, whatever they may be, and Reality Grip know this full well with their latest EP, ‘Mind Strife’. This EP is all about fighting against the world to lead the life you want, as well as about fighting yourself when the shit hits the fan and the doubt encroaches on your mind. It’s that resolve shown not only in Reality Grip's music but also in their lyrics that elevates the band's ultimately generic sound to that next level.

Perhaps the closest comparison to this Kansas outfit, apart from just lazily labeling them as “hardcore”, is Lionheart. However, unlike Lionheart, these guys seem to know that in order to maximise the full impact and power of their music, going full dude-bro hardcore and utilising cringe-worthy lyrics just ain’t gonna cut it nowadays in the scene. Although, that rather typical metallic hardcore sound is prevalent on this release, and that's not a bad thing, it's just that so many bands play this same brand of hardcore. To their credit, RG do it better than a majority of others.

Furthermore, the band has what is perhaps the most integral thing when it comes to playing straight-up hardcore such and that is - drum roll, please...groove. The drumming, the riffs, the bass lines, the vocals; it all embraces the solid head-bobbing, foot-tapping, mosh-worthy groove that this genre can summon up, and it’s the kind that any hardcore aficionado can (and should) get behind. So yes, while these five songs are simplistic, they pack a real punch, are well-written and flow very nicely between one another.

Now ‘Mind Strife' is only about 15 minutes long, and as such it doesn’t over stay its welcome, but, in all honesty, we wouldn’t have minded a longer running EP or even a full-length album (here's hoping one comes soon). But hey, we’ll take what we can get.

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Oh, and that Mortal Kombat(ish) sample of “Your Soul Is Mine” that shows up right before the final section in ‘The Reaper’ was fucking sick. Bonus points, boys.

While short and punchy, the rather massive chip on their shoulder means that Reality Grip need to only write solid jams like this to remain relevant and deadly in the scene.

1. Reality Grip

2. Depersonalization (ft. Chevy Easter of Mammoth)

3. Mind Strife (ft. Zaquery Thomas of Casket)

4. The Struggle

5. The Reaper (ft. Bret Miller)