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Amidst a seemingly endless onslaught of bands, labels, and other opportunistic clowns vying for commercial gain via subcultural cannibalism, it can be easy to lose sight of what drew us to punk in the first place. But despite the deluge of bullshit, we know that occasional nuggets of ugly and raw authenticity will claw their way to the surface for the hardcore punk faithful. And folks, we have just such a nugget in Deadly Struggle: 8 tracks of pummeling aural turbulence on a 12" slab for those who desire reality over cosplay. Building off the shockwaves of 2020’s Condemnation, Public Acid’s sound—a skewed, arty amalgamation of bludgeoning hardcore, frantic, riff- soaked d-beat, harsh noise, and underground metal—has only grown more focused and furious. There’s the virtuosic rhythm section, possessing an inhuman combination of lightness of touch and neanderthal power; the blinding, riffs-inside-of-riffs guitar style; the density of sound, massively heavy and pock-marked with kaleidoscopic fuzz; the maniacal vocals, inventive in both their technique and their rhythmic cadences; and, of course, the deadly mid-paced parts. Deadly Struggle reminds us that while hardcore punk will never die, those who cheapen it absolutely will.
Recorded by Sasha Stroud at Artifact Audio in NYC and mastered by Arthur Rizk for maximum impact, each record comes in a screen printed jacket with cover art by Thomas Sara immersed in a hypnotic layout by Matt Martin, plus a large fold out poster designed by Tower Kevin.
Our take: Public Acid returns with the much-anticipated follow-up to 2020’s Condemnation EP. Perhaps I don’t need to post a disclaimer, but I will anyway: two members of Public Acid have worked at Sorry State and I feel a close connection with the band and each of its members. So maybe I’m just gassing up my buddies, but ignore my praise for Public Acid at your peril, because I think they’re one of the best and most important bands in the current hardcore scene. The other night I was talking to a friend about how, when a band is on a hot streak, it’s important to recognize what’s happening so you can savor it. It’s a feeling I get once every few years, and often I’ll get into a band so heavily that they start to define that period of my life. Direct Control, Double Negative, and Government Warning were bands I felt that way about, and I feel that way about Public Acid right now. If you’ve seen them live in the past few years, you know they’ve matured into a total fucking wrecking ball. I’m not the only one who recognizes this. After the Sorry State 10th Anniversary Weekend last fall, several people independently commented to me that there was a palpable change in energy when they took the stage. Many people, myself among them, were expecting Public Acid to make a really great record sometime soon, which brings us to Deadly Struggle. You can listen to the record and decide for yourself, but for my money this thing is a fucking masterpiece. The fast songs are blinding, the slow parts are unholy, and it feels both timeless and appropriate to its moment in the way great art should. While Deadly Struggle is unmistakably hardcore punk, it doesn’t sound like anything else. Sure, there are reference points for certain things they do, and Public Acid is also part of a wave of bands like Tower 7 and Salvaje Punk making ugly fusions of raw international underground hardcore and metal, yet Public Acid stands alone. Like I said, I’ve been around the block a few times, and I think I know when a band is at the top of their game. Deadly Struggle is not a record you want to sleep on.