You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Listeners who possess the skill to ignore poor sound quality while enjoying good songs will surely have that ability put to the test by the debut full-length release from these Bay Area kiddos. Dirge Of Escapism is a difficult listen, not because the quintet’s injection of ‘holy terror’-style hardcore into crossover thrash is particularly abrasive, difficult to listen to or poorly managed, but because the sonic essence of this album is abysmal. The guitars are thin, the drums boom like the 80s never ended, vocalist Lucy Xavier sounds like he’s barking at the end of a hallway and the overall production is muted and muffled. Still, there’s an abundance of catchy, pit-worthy riffs accented by energetic gang vox and an almost constant barrage of whammy bar dive bombs and extraneous solo fills to experience and pine for the remastering of.