Like Rats

"Featuring members of" is usually a curse the newcomers have to battle off, as they fail to measure up to the success (both musically and financially) of their alter ego(s). Fortunately for Like Rats, who share members with power violence juggernauts Weekend Nachos, the curse has been lifted for their self-titled full-length debut. Sonically, the album bears little resemblance to Weekend Nachos ― the blackened metallic hardcore, while powerful, isn't power violence and the vocals are spit with acidic vitriol akin to their corpse paint-wearing predecessors. Meanwhile, Like Rats's hardcore side is complemented with more than a few crushingly evil, sludgy dirges that help separate them from their peers. Similar to how Twitching Tongues' Type O Negative influence brought the band into the hardcore limelight, Like Rats's obvious debt to Celtic Frost could bring the black metal pioneers some much-deserved attention. Weekend Nachos should watch their back because with a debut full-length this promising, their future platters might read "featuring members of Like Rats."