Black Ships

After a well-received CD-R release on Mon Oeil Records, Montreal’s Black Ships have unleashed a beast of an EP on the world with Low. With all the power of Tragedy’s first record or Coliseum’s Goddamage, these four songs meld brutally heavy d-beat with epically apocalyptic guitars, forging some powerfully melodic instrumental passages for vocalist Jamie Thomas to tear to shreds with his appropriately brutal screams. Finding some range in what can be a somewhat limited sonic scope, Black Ships move seamlessly from lightning-fast punk rock to sludgy metal in songs like "Lowest of the Low,” likely the strongest track here. Fans of Cursed or the aforementioned bands should flip for this.