Shikari

Abrasive, scathing metal in its rawest forms used to be peddled by the darkest of black metalers. The ’90s brought an era where those refraining from corpse paint and church burnings could express themselves a socially comprehendible way. Shikari are one of the few bands who have adopted the addition of emo undercurrents to make for shrill and dramatic music and have played it well. Forming in 1999, they hail from the Netherlands, where their popularity was undoubtedly influential throughout Europe. This is a compilation of songs recorded over the period of four years for various EPs and splits that are now out of print. They build tension like Buried Inside, eventually exploding into a symphonic barrage of fury, storming into screams that could make your ears bleed. They combine the frantic pace and raw edge of Acme, approaching this speed from a Converge song writing sensibility with the occasional Locust twists. Their overall sound is like that of Orchid making for an extremely passionate combination of speed, melody, and tension.