RELICS – The ‘Bring Your Own Blood’ EP.

RELICS – Huddersfield, England, United Kingdom.

Photo Credit – CJ Rogers Photography – Click Here.

Formed in Huddersfield in 2013, RELICS are a band, a band with some very revealing information to share with you. Information regarding their back story and the reason why they pursue music, all via these five words – ‘We mostly like riffs, mostly’.

Insightful. Back to the point, to date the band have some accomplished live dates, including supporting the likes of Cancer Bats as well as a three-track debut EP released back in 2014.

What do they sound like? Well, citing influences such as Cancer Bats, Every Time I Die, Killing Joke and Motorhead, RELICS’ sound sits somewhere between mid-tempo Hardcore Punk, Southern-esque Hard Rock and wonderfully thick Sludge Metal. Yes, that’ll do, or will it? Add all that to a very British lack of taking themselves too seriously and you have the icing on this very volatile tasting cake.

‘The Circus’ being the more Punk orientated number of the band, it’s a good contrast to the harder and more metallic riffs of the previous to tracks.

Recorded by Joe Clayton of Old Skin and mastered by the very same that worked with the likes of Converge and Modern Life Is War, the band are in good stead for this new release – Shall we?

\\Bring Your Own Blood//

The titled track is a simple song. Fast, simplistic Punk-Rock rhythms, Hard Rock and Metal overtones, all rolled into a anthem with no real rally. You may think I’m being negative, but I’m not. The guitars are low and the bass lower, the drumming is solid not even thinking of showing off while the vocals and their lyrical content has something to do with vampires.

All I know is, this is a belter and is as close as American-styled Southern Rock will ever get to UK Hardcore Punk, the gang vocals and slower sludge of the latter riffs show off the band’s affiliation with Cancer Bats and round off the song nicely. It’s a fun song and clearly would be a killer live, coincidently it was a great song to hang my washing out too as well. #FreshLife.

There’s no time to recover, ‘The Door’ rocks up with the words ‘Life is just as hard an cold and evil, as you make it’. The extended intro is an excellent build-up, the prominent crescendo guides you through over military drums before, the a barrage of down-low Hardcore punches it’s way through, retreats for more “philosophy” before classic chord progression and intense vocality take over and lead into ‘KEEP BANGING THE DOOR – KEEP BANGING THE DOOR – KEEP BANGING THE DOOR’ once more.

The song’s transition into Metal after a short refrain shows a strength of the band, their simplicity. The whole track steps over the border from Punk to Metal multiple times, without a loss in ferocity.

One of few things I love about being English and generally just British is the sense of humour. It’s weird, it takes people from outside the UK a long time to get it and is great when manifested in music. The final track is a great example of this.

‘A*M*S*C*A*D*’ – All My Sexual Conquests Are Dead.

Musically, it begins with short but snappy set of breakdowns, with slower more metallic counterparts shortly after. Another Hardcore Punk/Metal hybrid with multiple crossovers, it’s another testament to how far they band have come since the first EP.

Find everything RELICS linked below:

• Social Media: Facebook.
• Music: The first EP is FREE to download on bandcamp, While BYO-Blood is up for cheap.
• Merch: Hard copies of the new EP and shirts can be found on BigCartel or at gigs.

#StayFresh