Outclassed

This Might Be Coincidence... EP

Written by: PP on 09/03/2009 00:21:41

It's always interesting to see a seminal band break up, regardless of genre. The obvious downside is that we don't get to hear any more music from them, but the upside is that given a few years of absence from the scene, soundalike bands start popping up who probably grew up with those tunes, and are now using them as an inspiration to start a band of their own. There are lots of examples, of course, but Botch were one of the greatest ones, spawning tonnes of similar-sounding bands, most remarkably Norma Jean (who later deviated away from that sound), and of course the band whose EP "This Might Be Coincidence" is in question here: Outclassed.

If the name Botch doesn't say much to you, well, you should really go and look them up, because the few albums that they wrote and released are among the best mathcore albums out there. They were full of chaotic soundscapes where mathematically precise riffs angle in on each other to create a nice blend of what today could be deduced to be hardcore and screamo, but what back then was simply raw, technical hardcore with a senselessly screaming vocalist going insane simultaneously. That's essentially exactly how Outclassed sound on the record, with a few odd extras like the acoustic finish on "Truck Mark", where the band sounds like a heavily unproduced (a common theme with mathcore bands) Poison The Well, and "Hey Dudes, Stop Wreckin All The Bikes" where the band brings Converge into my mind, sort of. There are constantly audible references to Botch and Norma Jean, but occasionally the band has me thinking of the raw hardcore punk attitude of Gallows when they are at their most crushing. It's perhaps even possible to draw a faint parallel between the screamo-supergroup United Nations and these guys, but that's only in the form of a vivid, busy atmosphere that both bands seem to have taken a liking to.

Anyway, the point is this. Outclassed sound almost precisely like Botch, so based on that description alone you should be checking these guys out. There are very few bands who are able to make songs sound great all while they are so unproduced, chaotic, and full of intricate detail, and Outclassed is one of them. The only downside is that there are just five songs, so the experience is a bit too short. Otherwise, good stuff indeed.

7

Download: Kick God In The Face Hail Satan
For the fans of: Botch, Norma Jean, Gallows, United Nations
Listen: Myspace

Release date 27.01.2009
Forcefield Records

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