Review: “Mercy Killing” by Negative Frame

2018 was the year that saw London Metallic Hardcore crew Negative Frame get us in a headlock before charging headlong into traffic with a basement demo of “King” swiftly followed by a debut EP in “Pestilent” produced by Nick Burns and launched at a show with with Discharge on 1st December of that year. 2020 saw sophomore EP “Disarming” hit like a sucker punch, the band building their reputation for a fierce, high energy live show. Two years later “Small World” appeared, an EP expanded to a full length with tracks waterfall released in between times. Recorded at Monolith Studios by Charlie Wilson (Bun Dem Out, Graven Image, Borstal), that marked the bands first international release with distribution from The Coming Strife Records (UK), Death Farm Records (EU), Patient Zero Records (US), Medusas Lair Records (EU) and Nerds Records (JP). Written in their rehearsal space, plugging in and wishing they could play shows during the great plague years, it struck a chord, elevating them to Upsurge Festival and Fury Fest in 2022…

Returning to the tried, tested and true, “Mercy Killing” sees Negative Frame once again utilize the skills of Charlie Wilson at Monolith Studios to record their high energy output. Recreating the kind of brutality in Metallic Hardcore that Kublai Khan did with “Nomad” in 2017, the single verse of “Earthquake” is wrapped in 84 seconds of heavy hitting riffs and pounding percussion that is designed from the ground up to make you move. It’s the kind of track that you’ll need to see a Doctor after listening to – either to examine your injuries because you took a beating cutting shapes in the mosh pit – or to examine your mental state because you didn’t. A riff for two steppers follows as “889” comes to life, the band crossing into Sludge Metal territory with hints at a Crowbar influence in the mid section around the lyric “Hold up my soul” and a blistering solo from callous hands that might catch a few by surprise. The comparisons with Sheffield shredders  Malevolence are undeniable and arguably a good reason why the pair should never share a stage. Flipping the script almost entirely, a Hardcore Punk riff ignites “Eyesore” and it works incredibly well because variety is the spice of life. Galloping drums and another scorching solo before some bombastic bass and it has to be said the verve and swagger that Negative Frame have in the courage of their convictions is seriously addictive. A few tasty death growls chemically enhance “Heat of Hell” which is one of those cuts that has a name, the furious Death Metal of the final moments a blunt force trauma from which there is no recovery. That sentiment and styling continues into “Madness Shared“, which is shorter and sharper and yet has anthemic qualities with scream-a-long lyrics. All in all a mixed bag of genre defying cuts that fit together like jigsaw pieces, this one is a stone cold winner [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Earthquake
2. 889
3. Eyesore
4. Heat of Hell
5. Madness Shared

“Mercy Killing” by Negative Frame is out 11th August 2023 on The Coming Strife (UK) / Death Farm (EU) / Northern Scene (US) / Nerds (JP)  and is available over at bandcamp