It’s been a minute since Swedish crust Gods, Martyrdod have given North American heshers a new offering. Luckily, the ministers of riffs at Southern Lord have conspired to bring the us crust metal punk record that 2019 deserves. Martyrdod have no one to impress, they’ve been in the game since before you and your bandmates discovered crustpunks.com. Most crust bands can barley find time to practice, let alone release a plethora of albums. Yet, Martyrdod are here to rip through the bullshit with their 7th studio album, Hexhammaren. Per usual, Martyrdod have brought a sense of rage and despair front and center as Hexhammaren moves seamlessly from d-beat mania to improvised solos.
Martyrdod’s casual approach to making Hexammaren allows the record to transcend genre barriers. Wanna bang your head? there’s a tack for that. Wanna run in a circle and spill your $11 beer on bystanders? There’s a track for that. Wanna show your friends anarchist literature and concepts without giving them a stupid book?? Yep, there’s a track for that too, comrade. In terms of album highlights, tracks like Cashless Society and Pharmacepticon are undeniably the standouts on the record. Cashless Society brings the pit while Pharmaception brings the groove. You will find this dichotomy repeating itself throughout the record as Martyrdod creates space for listeners to feel sonically pleasured momentarily only to be sonically attacked again and again. Its gotten tougher in recent years to be unique and still appeal to people who openly wear clothing with little spikes attached to it. Yet, Martyrdod finds a way to still demonstrate that they are continuing to grow and evolve their sound while still giving fans a reason to remain loyal and more importantly, pissed at whatever it is in their lives they need to stay pissed at. Long live Martyrdod and long live Hexhammaren.
PSA: It’s a known fact that Southern Lord is incapable of backing a bad record so seriously what are you even doing reading this shit still?
