End Progress

tagging this albums gonna be a bitch--not cuz its musically incomprehensible or anything, but because i dont know that much about the anarchist blackened ska crust scene, y'know? i've known about the existence of this particular intersection of genres for a bit, but terms like "crack rock steady(*)" and even "skacore" are relatively new to me. ska punk has just been op ivy and rancid to me for years, now you're tellin me they combined that shit with black metal? ... kinda fuckin badass.

in reality this kinda stuff seems super sick to me and i've only neglected to listen to it out of my own ignorance. tryna change that. described as blackened anarcho-crust infused with ska, end progress by leper seemed like one of the most interesting and unique hidden gems of the 2000's just based on concept alone. thankfully, the record itself did not disappoint. it concedes absolutely nothing in its seamless and refreshing fusion of genres--like, you might expect the evil darkness of black metal to diminish in the presence of blatant ska guitars, but i had no problems taking this record seriously. leper's lead vocalist balances a sinister, more black metal-inspired delivery with energetic shouts that blend well with the crusty soundscape. the other two members sing sometimes too, and they all do a great job if you ask me.

my verdict? heavy ska is just as badass as i thought it would be and i wish it was even MORE prevalent on this record! while it's probably present more often than not, there are a couple tracks here that are completely void of any ska influence. luckily, the whole record rips all the same. end progress by leper is a genuinely sick awesome LP any punk or metalhead or music fan in general should check out. totally stands out from the crowd due to its numerous unique traits. my favorite songs are wild and free, sedition not sedation, destroy what destroys you...all the ones where they go full-on punk assault mode and let loose. face yourself, inspire change, that stuff. this is where the ska influences are the most prominent and i fuckin love it! the war of 2010, the title track, decivilize, resist the S.P.P. and we live in ruins are of a more familiar 21st century american crust sound, complete with blackened riffs and borderline neocrust buildups (especially on the superb title track). it definitely has all the makings of a "hipster" album, but i happen to like a lot of that bandcamp hipster shit, thank you very much. the tracklist balances its two most prominent sounds very well, sequencing them in a push-and-pull of vicious hardcore ferocity and blackened crust atmospheres, making end progress a really engaging listen.

(* i'm sure "crack rock steady" is a term used more by writers/reviewers/RYMers than the musicians in the actual scene but it's still a cool ass name with a distinct enough sound i wanted to acknowledge)