Not a band known for shying away from the dark side, Alabama hardcore firebrands No Cure have returned with a vengeance, as they focus on the gradual systematic decline all around us. With their last effort, I Hope I Die Here, portraying their Southeastern US experiences, It Is Going To Get Dark is an incendiary perspective of the current state of the world.

Opening with as fierce start, When The Spasms Cease is a vicious hardcore belter that fully adds their extreme metal influences to their arsenal. Two-step tempos are abundant, and moshing is essential. Not only does this album draw on heavy music, though, with hip-hop artist JayWay making an uncompromising appearance to push the blade of revenge deeper on the punishing Brain Matter Displacement.

There's meaning, too. Slowly Turning Blue addresses the pain of addiction from the onlooker’s viewpoint, immediately followed by Ironclad, a straight-edge anthem that absolutely rips, with Tyler Short of Inclination and Constraint lending his throat.

The death metal blood running through No Cure is most visible during Convulsing In The Dark. As vocalist Blaythe Steuer put himself, it “shows our love for bands like Death and Carcass”, and the incessant aural pummelling pays homage excellently. Not content to stop there, Skyler Conder of Varials joins the fray on Sharpen The Blade, before The Acacia Strain’s Vincent Bennett growls lyrical over Purity Spiral.

An LP that is simultaneously screaming out into the void and uplifting those who hear it, No Cure will need to do something very special to surpass the barbaric majesty here. It Is Going To Get Dark, indeed.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Knocked Loose, Pain Of Truth, Fit For An Autopsy

It Is Going To Get Dark is out now via SharpTone