Chicago four-piece the Kreutzer Sonata play raw hardcore in clipped, stentorian bursts so that each song exposes new gristle. On the new Cradle to the Grave (No Time/Don’t Panic), hammering drums sprint in Tasmanian-devil circles, austere guitars scorch the fastest path to the next melody, and Adam Kreutzer hollers lyrics about the woes of the city and the world in hoarse, bellicose belches. The Kreutzer Sonata’s gruff attack is an antidote to the side effects of our cruel universe and an homage to the hard-won highs of hard living. Often a gaggle of other voices jump into the fray to complement Kreutzer’s harsh singing, and their shambolic harmonies tease out the melodic sensibilities buried beneath the music’s rough exterior. Gang vocals are a bit overdone in hardcore, but sometimes they transcend cliche to suggest that the best way through darkness is to get everyone pulling together.
The Kreutzer Sonata’s Cradle to the Grave is available on Bandcamp.
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