Soul Control

It took a call from Bridge Nine to get the four members of Soul Control in the studio to record a full-length album. Their 14-day session produced Cycles, 12 songs of straight-ahead hardcore that will make you get on your knees and thank Bridge Nine for their pursuit of the band. Opener "Beyond Words" kicks-off with Jim Connolly's frenetic guitar work and Rory Van Grol's ragged sing-scream voice, sounding almost like a muddled mix of Refused and Blood Brothers. The breakdowns come at the expected moments but they strike hard and bring forward a '90s hardcore feel ("Like Spiders"). The title track follows a slow-tempo pace that's very deep and heavy before Connolly's squealing guitar races in to finish this extremely pleasing album that (surprisingly) never tires or struggles to stay fresh from start to finish.