I must say this EP was quite a pleasure to review. Great name for a band, and the digi-pak is very well done. Packaging aside, the manufacturer is very reputable and has been churning out quality product for many years. Like many of the punk-core bands out today, HWC has quite a few 7” and splits out there, and has been transmitting their form of grind to the masses for a while now. Their mastery of this type of music has put them ahead of the pack. This is a brutal 5-song EP with an enhanced video that brings to mind thrash punk masters SEPTIC DEATH in its execution and especially the drum sound. You probably so enjoyed the drum sound on METALLICA’s “St. Anger”, that you didn’t even realize that it came form SEPTIC DEATH’s records quite a few years back (and they did it better than Lars ‘all about the money’ Ulrich. Of course Lars probably paid 1.67 million to own the rights to that sound, so’s I better clam up now).

These Chicago-area hardcore mavens have a winning formula here. Let’s start with the general theme of the band. Basically, it revolves around the ridicule of the corporate world. The digi-pak boasts to have a scratch-n-sniff of laundered money! Tommy Camaro’s vocals are pesticide enough to drive little critters away simply by playing the disc. He can scream and howl with the best of ‘em, and compliments the razor-sharp acid grind perfectly. The lyrics strike like a bunch of phrases and sentences spewing out so feverishly, the German Enigma machine could not even decipher them. “Come Helvetica in a blog so we can get upset at the boy tuned like a jack knife magikist.” I'm admittedly a little puzzled, But it works for them, and with the tunes.

“Grinding for Jesus” (anybody remember the BONELESS ONES?) is a great example of what these guys are all about: putting the screws to you with precise breakneck speed. They slow down a little here in spots and remind me a little of TODAY IS THE DAY. The guitar sound is clean, and bizarro at the same time, almost a VOIVOD feel at times. "Your Momma on the Rocks” is insanely fast, with a few samples added in, but it gives the minimum requirement of cadence. The EP is very heavy, yet agile not unlike THE ACCÜSED, without as many slowdowns, and with much better production. These guys are good musicians, not just typical grind stuff. I find myself wishing it was longer.

The best I can do here is tell you that if you are fans of classic stuff like THE ACCÜSED and SEPTIC DEATH, or newer stuff like TODAY IS THE DAY, these guys are worth checking out. As I type this, their website is under construction, but if you get a chance check out their artwork for "Master of Profits". It will tickle your funny bone.

- Murtaugh

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/hewhocorrupts

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