Roughly a year and half ago I began engrossing myself into the gnarly and contorted sounds coming out of the noise rock and powerviolence scenes in the northeastern United States. Bands like Doom Beach, Youth In Asia, and Blame God all blew me away with their pummeling and ear splitting sounds, only serving to fan the flames of my curiosity and cause me to go deeper down the rabbit hole. I would sit on Instagram and Bandcamp for a few hours at the time clicking on a band’s show flier from somewhere up in CT or RI, following the tags to the other band’s accounts, listening to their music, and repeating the process. In the midst of this obsessive cycle I would stumble upon an absolute gem in Kidnapped. Nowhere Is Sterile and the 2020 Demo both are amazing pieces of grimy powerviolence that are well worth your time, but they could not prepare me for the sonic grenade coming my way in 2024.
The opening track “Disgust” kicks off the album like a gunshot. A blast beat topped with gnarled vocals punch its way into your ears immediately. Searing scratchy guitars whizz by over the top, perfectly cradling the other elements in their haystack of needles. Before the listener can even get comfortable with the rhythms being presented, a mosh worthy switch up comes at just 20 seconds in. These chugging guitars smash into the other elements of the mix and create a type of sonic impact that can only really inspire feelings of violence in the listener. The vocalist proves to be my favorite part on not only this song but the entire record. He does not yell in a way that feels typical of this kind of music. He is not putting on a vocal exhibition of his many talents, he is simply releasing his most pent up feelings and emotions in a desperate and angry manner. This song sums up everything that this album has coming at you in its ruthless 1:15 run time. Kidnapped plans on flaying the listener upon a burning brush, and leaving their emotions and doubts pulled bare for all of creation to look upon. No frills..no bullshit…just business. Thankfully we are just getting started.
The next specific track I would like to remark upon is “Bite Down”. This was one of the leading singles before the release of the album in full. Even after a dozen or more listens it still proves to be my favorite track, and the track I send to people when I am trying to get them to check this release out. “Bite Down” straddles the line between pure unbridled aggression and catchiness perfectly. The opening riffs fill you with that all too familiar feeling of something careening your way at a breakneck speed right before obliterating whatever is in its path. The simple back and forth switch ups keep the listener engaged while not feeling repetitive in comparison to what else has been showcased thus far. The riffs complement the drums perfectly and give the track an undeniable headbanging factor. The frontman’s performance screams with forlorn hope. Every time I hear this track all that I can picture is a stage full of deranged audience members all clutching and clawing at the mic in desperation, screaming the words, ‘I bite down for the pain, the price we pay, I just can’t shake’. I hope I will get a chance to be one of those rabid attendees one day soon.
I am not typically much of a lyrical listener, and with this record that remained the case. The rhythms and riffs of Disgust caught my eye far before the writing did, but once I dove into the page of this record I found a wealth of interesting sentiments to pull from it. Delving into the writing and vocal performance of Disgust is similar to the feeling of staring into a dark abyss. The anguish and rage it exudes and can only seem to reach back out of the song and ensnare you in its resentful clutches. Phrases like, ‘Overconsumption beckons me but I’m in denial, lack of purpose leaves me dormant and hostile’ show off that doomed loneliness that this album carries with it. The album opens with the lines, ‘Locked out, self doubt, born from the gutter we’ll all get put down, choked out face up without a sound’, showcasing these acceptance of the painful and desolate reality one can find themselves trapped in. These types of cagey aggressive statements are all over this album. This record feels trapped not only by literal walls and bars but by the limits one in turn places on themself. The word disgust sums this all up perfectly. I am disgusted by the mirror this album manages to fling into the face of the listener. I am disgusted by what I see and feel.
Disgust is my favorite release of 2024 thus far. I could spin my wheels all day pointing out what I appreciate about each individual track on this album, but that would be missing the forest for the trees. Disgust in its entirety is distilled and perfected violent sonic derangement. It spins a painful narrative of self-loathing, caged lonely misanthropy, and violent outward aggression. If you are fed up with how the world sees you and how you in turn see yourself, point that fury outwards with Kidnapped. Point it at those who have made you feel this way, point it at the systems that have made you feel that way, but most importantly don’t forget to point it at yourself. Grit your teeth, tense up your fists, and prepare for what you have coming.
