I’m won over before Sean Murphy spits “I’m bending, I’m breaking, I’m broken” during ‘Scream’, but I defy anyone to listen to that track and not think Verse are brilliant. Bridge9 is a record label on a monster run of releases at the minute. As a label they can do no wrong and must be one of the best, if not the best, around at the minute. ‘Aggression’ continues the trend of great records coming off the label. It’s aggressive as you would expect, but the riffs and the music are perfectly toned – not overly hard, not too melodic. They just allow the vocals to spit fury which they do to perfection.
Whether it’s anti the media (‘The New Fury’) or anti the establishment as the band vent during ‘Old Guards, New Methods’, Verse are a band with something to say and their message is the most important part of their sound. The vocals are delivered superbly and while there are short and sharp hardcore tracks here, the band are arguably at their best when they flex their muscles and veer off the beaten path – ‘Story of a Free Man’, split into different chapters, is incredibly delivered. It’s a short story of a man sent off to war, split into three songs which follow on perfectly. It’s ambitious, but it works very, very well.
This is no ordinary hardcore record by no ordinary hardcore band. Highly recommended.