Review: “Bring the Sword” by Insurgent

Hailing from Northern France, Insurgent are a Hardcore band fueled by Emo and Metal influences with politically charged, socially aware and emotively driven lyrical narratives. There music has given them the opportunity to get around forty shows both in France and Europe under their collective bullet belts, sharing stages with international players like Stick To Your Guns, Napalm Death and Guilt Trip in the process. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Francis Caste  (Hangman’s Chair, Rise of the Northstar, Kickback) at Studio Sainte Marthe their next chapter is “Bring the Sword“, the first of two EPs already completed.

A mournful palette cleanser for the mind “Intro” infuses Black Metal inspired tremolo picked guitars with achingly beautiful piano to give the discerning listener the feeling of waking up on a cold crisp morning to bright sunshine the day after the funeral of a loved one. That makes away for the pounding drums of “Reverse The Curse“, a track that sounds like it was inspired by bands like Devil Sold His Soul during the aching clean first verse. The tempo and intensity increases dramatically once that passage is complete, the band leaning on influences from bands like Still Remains from the early 2003 era of American Metalcore. Punches of aggression, heavy breakdowns and tasteful solo all swirl together like raspberry ripple ice cream, the unclean and clean vocal passages giving the track a real grit and integrity. Those same stylings then bleed into title track “Bring the Sword“, the band wasting no time in pummeling the listener into submission before smoothing things over with an anthemic chorus and brutal breakdown. Who says you can’t have both style and substance at the same time? Insurgent prove that they can deliver both mixing intoxicating emotive melodies with heavy hitting moments to push the envelope containing their message home. The harsh unclean vocals on “Endless Release” are arguably the fiercest on the record as the band push themselves to their limits with adrenaline fueled material that captures the imagination. If their live shows are as electric as this record then you’re going to be in for endless circle pits [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Reverse The Curse
3. Bring the Sword
4. Endless Release

“Bring the Sword” by Insurgent is out 5th December 2025 via Useless Pride Records and maybe available over at bandcamp