4th March 2024

Review: “Brutal By Design” by Bite The Hand

Introducing an unsuspecting World to a gripping, socio-political charged sound with their debut EP “Down Comes the Bay“ in 2022, Hardcore crew Bite the Hand made no excuses for drawing on the bounce of classic Californian Hardcore bands as they cut their own path through the urban jungle. Mixed by Andy Nelson (Vermin Womb, Full Of Hell, Harms Way) at Bricktop Recording and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Pig Destroyer, Twitching Tongues, Death Ridge Boys) they return two years on with “Brutal By Design” as they welcome us… to the danger zone.

“I gotta hold on to my angst. I preserve it because I need it. It keeps me sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be”

A classic line from Al Pacino as Lt. Vincent Hanna in 1995’s “Heat” serves as the perfect introduction to “Brutal By Design” from Bite The Hand. Make no mistake, with this record the East Bay Hardcore outfit bring out a collection of urgent, riff-filled tracks that are so brutally honest it should be enough to make the average Joe or Jane get back under the duvet. Perhaps taking influence from 90’s Hardcore, bands Sick Of It All and Biohazard immediately spring to mind as the chunky bass tone brings in the guitars with a pick slide that cracks a smile, the intro a warning shot about the shape of Punk to come. The devil, as they say is in the detail, the meat and bones of it, because lyrically, while these songs range from addressing the class struggle between white and blue collar workers, racial inequality, looking back with regret and the on-going acceptance of self, sonically, they’re classically straight to the point, in your face aggressive Hardcore Punk and a two-steppers delight.

The dream then becomes a nightmarish reality as after a fast start with a whirlwind of percussive battery accompanied by riffs a plenty, “Days Of Pain” then slows to a mid tempo shout-fest, the band proving they can slug it out with the best of them in just a couple of minutes. A false ending during the opening strains of “Rotting Mouths” is expertly executed, the weighty bass sound making the instrument effectively a second rhythm guitar and prominent in the mix with it. An ethnic introduction to title track “Brutal By Design” might catch you off guard but the sharper riffs and punchier attitude alongside the sample make it stand out like a hammer smashed thumb, in a good way. Another mid-tempo abrasion, it almost feels like a cover in this collection but the experiment works incredibly well before the band return to type with the full throttle cut that is “The Pressure“. Tearing along like Dodge Charger on the Freeway, this one brings the record to a timely demise in a fun filled fashion, leaving only the question of just how long we have to wait for the next piece of their puzzle… [7/10]

Track Listing