WHUT ? No Hope – No Soul
( Demon Head )
It ’ s hard to believe that Chicago ’ s long-standing crossover metal band WHUT ? has been slugging it out in the national metal scene for 20 years . WHUT ?’ s musical blueprint is an aggressive hybrid of several different influences . The band ’ s crossover style , mixed with elements of hardcore punk and thrash metal , contains more thrashy elements and melodic guitar leads compared to the typical hardcore trademarks consisting of instrumental beatdowns and bellowed gang chants one would immediately think of when it comes to crossover / hardcore . On its second full-length release , No Hope — No Soul , the band blazes through nine tracks at 24 minutes of angry anthems . Each track is delivered with an intense rhythmic thrust , with the emphasis on creating simplebut-engaging riffs . Opener “ CAPS ” kicks things off with a bang . Loaded with distortion-laden , chugging riffs , accompanied by the precision-like rhythm section of drummer Philly D and bassist Bob Mullany , Jeremy Keen ’ s vitriolic barks , and the razor-sharp riffing of Gregory Charles and Jerome Marshall , the track packs a hefty punch . Tracks “ One Choice ,” “ Day ’ s Awakening ,” and “ Worthless ” are groovy , upbeat ragers full of anger and aggression , while mid-paced chuggers such as “ 10 Fingers ” and “ Sanity ” are equally as effective . The thrashy “ God Damn Waste ” possesses a sweet little riff and a double kick drum pattern that propels the harddriving track throughout its almost four-minute runtime . The band recently received praise-worthy attention for their energetic cover of the Cro-Mags ’ classic “ We Gotta Know ,” which is also included here . WHUT ? has paid their dues for two decades , and with their latest release , it proves that perseverance does pay off .
- Kelley Simms Appearing Saturday , 10 / 22 at The Forge , Joliet .
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