Decultivate - Decultivate

Hardcore is a bit of a double edged sword for most to listen to, especially when it is such a short listen one feels they didn’t really get to enjoy it fully. Decultivate hail from Czechia, Prague- an area that once barely really knew much about Metal at all- so it is nice to see more bands come from there, let alone a more socially charged Hardcore band like these guys. Bringing the attitude of Punk and Grindcore with the song lengths of a band like Nails and a sound similar to the likes of groups such as Yosemite in Black (minus the filthy bass), one should not expect the more commercialized Hardcore sound in the likes from Hatebreed or Throwdown. Indeed, the Punk elements seem to shine more through the vocals of Miro alongside the jarring riffs between Radek and bass from Ondra. Combined with the near machine gun fire drums from Marian fans should expect a biting, fast, blistering debut from their self titled full length.

The tracks here are without mercy or much variate, but like a Municipal Waste album bring the point home hard and direct. Tracks like ‘Trapeni…’ are sharp and stabbing in the riffs with the barked/ shrieked vocals and then others like Chcete…’ have more of that Groove stomp headbang vibe to it that is more catchy and less Grindcore tinged with being Napalm Death fast and abrasive. The biggest success here though is ‘Na konci’ simply for its different approach of letting the drums have more ‘alone time’ and just a strong catchy opening that suck one in rather than taking off with no mercy in riffs and vocals. For those who are not used to this style of Hardcore and more used to a build up or just a catchy intro, then this track will be for them. But like so many of the others, it is fast. Indeed the entire album is under 20 minutes, which is no surprise for those who listen to a lot of Slam or Grindcore or some Hardcore in general, but for those who really want a ‘full meal’ of an album it seems they might feel cheated when the tracks are less than two minutes in length. 

Thankfully unlike Nails which have the goal of just being sheerly heavy and obliterating everything in their path, Decultivate walk the line between catchy and heavy, following more along the lines of bands like Kouristus who perform more of a Punk Grindcore style. The album as a whole is noisy and demands attention but also sounds fun despite the heaviness. Those who like their Hardcore fast and almost crushing will appreciate the underrated nature of what Decultivate has to offer. Yes it is short and yes it feels like more of an EP, but it still has something to say and is worth listening to even if the language barrier does get in the way a bit.

3 / 5 STARS