Skarhead
Drugs, Music And Sex
I-Scream Records

NYHC, or New York Hardcore for the uninitiated, divides opinion like little else in the heavy music world.

Gritty, cathartic aggression from the streets or thuggish, macho posturing depending on who you’re talking to, Skarhead, fronted by the infamous Lord Ezec (A.K.A. Danny Diablo)are brash, hard living exponents of the genre, and epitomise the elements of the scene that prove most divisive: principally their unapologetic lyrical violence and grounding in street culture. For fans of NYHC at its most visceral though, ‘Drugs Music and Sex’ is a rough hewn treasure, the band (featuring numerous guest members including Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Vinnie Stigma of Agnostic Front among others) shooting their first album proper since 1998 full of malice and confrontational energy, grinding riffs and piledriving drums providing the best soundtrack to a debauched ghetto party for a long while.

Nailing their colours to the flag from the outset, Skarhead turn their rage on the emo scene with the withering barrage that is ‘Fuck the Scene,’ proclaiming ‘Now you’re bleeding on the floor, Hot Topic sucks and so do you’ before proceeding to pay tribute to alternative lifestyles and brotherhood (‘D.F.F’) and generally attempting to blow the listener’s brain out through their ears. The band incorporate elements of hip hop and metal into the mix but for the most part this is hardcore to the bones, and while it ain’t pretty it’s rarely carried off with such conviction or authenticity nowadays. These guys have lived the life and continue to do so, the album’s title a manifesto as well as a description. Venture into the circle pit during their set at your own risk, and be warned… ‘Drugs, Music and Sex’ is NOT for the faint hearted; but these tales of adversities overcome and life lived to the full will certainly leave an impact.

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Review by Rob Sayce