14th February 2025

Review: “No Way Back” by Volcano

Lets talk about sex, lies and bloody statistics for a moment. How impressive is it that 1st March 2022 Ohio Beatdown Hardcore crew Volcano released their debut EP “Fool 2 Tha Game” and since then it has gone on to accumulate 3.4 million Spotify streams alone? Just think about that for a second. It’s five cuts running to twelve minutes and twenty five seconds and yet it’s being listened to by over 47k of listeners every month. How is that even possible? That first record was recorded as a trio with vocalist Jeremy Damron joined by drummer Will Wager and multi instrumentalist Cody Davidson (Fix My Face Records, Sanguisugabogg). This time around they record as a two piece with Davidson handling recording, mixing and mastering as well as all instruments…

A groove laden Metallic Hardcore riff with Kublai Khan vibes brings the urgent “Yoder” to life with a satisfying crunch, the band making us wait for the bark and bite of the vocals from Damron. As the narrative about a friend choosing death plays out you can feel the raw emotion in the vocal delivery. The need for a clenched fist and staying strong in the moment is conveyed and when we get a few clean vocals at the very end of this one verse burst of anguish it’s clear its as far from a sell out moment as you can get. The opening riff of “Time And Distance” instantly brings to mind “Davidian” by Machine Head before breaking down into some funky bass. Lyrically the title track, this one is laced with lyrics that resonate as the first one does, this time on the subject of betrayal and a desire to wait for vengeance until the time is right. Prominent high pitched snare, gang chants and something getting smashed all add to the menacing sense of impending violence and you know it’s not going to be long before s*** gets serious. The spoken word adds a nice touch with prison interview vibes as does the clanky bass solo that echoes the main riff in the final moments. Sort, sharp and lethally effective, this feels like it could be the tip of the iceberg and a precursor to a full length because it’s got everything you could possibly want in Metallic Hardcore and oozes both class and instant appeal [8/10]

Track Listing