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Lifeless Dark: Forces of Nature’s Transformation 12” (Side Two Records) Boston’s Lifeless Dark released a killer demo tape of Sacrilege-inspired hardcore back in 2018, then took their sweet time with their vinyl debut, waiting six long years before they sprung it on the hardcore punk faithful. While Forces of Nature’s Transformation’s long gestation period might have been frustrating for fans, if that’s what it took to create an LP this killer, then it was worth it. With over 40 minutes of music, the album dwarfs the running time of most contemporary hardcore records, yet it hardly feels redundant or bloated. Ripping metallic hardcore a la Sacrilege is still at the core of Lifeless Dark’s sound, but as you might expect given the record’s ambitious scope, you really can’t dismiss them as mere Sacrilege worship. Even when Lifeless Dark sounds the most like Sacrilege, it feels like they’ve gone deeper, pulling from the early Metallica and Discharge records that clearly influenced Sacrilege (and peers like English Dogs and Varukers) rather than directly from Sacrilege themselves (the main riff in “Cryptic Remains” bears some resemblance to Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” for instance). And then there are entire regions of Lifeless Dark’s sound that are wholly their own, in particular what I hear as a doom metal influence that runs throughout the album. Most of the time when crusty-sounding bands play slow and heavy they’re gesturing toward Amebix, but songs like “Medusa” and “Fear No Evil” have this woozy, bluesy feel that reminds me of Candlemass or even Sleep, and the way the guitarist glides melodically over the sludgy foundation is way beyond what I’d expect from most punk records. Who knows if that’s actually what Lifeless Dark is pulling from, but whatever their inspiration, their sound is unique. The vocals, much like the music, will satisfy any member of Tam’s fan club, yet carry a distinct charisma of their own, with standout moments including the huge chorus in “The Forgotten” and the chant at the end of “Radiation Sickness.” While contemporary hardcore punk is rife with very good bands, Lifeless Dark’s ambition to deliver more puts them in a class of their own.