Wild in the streets! Foos-approved West-side punks XCOMM kick off on explosive debut, Time To Burn
Barely out of high school, XCOMM are ready to kick the door down. ‘Three chips on your shoulder, I ain’t getting any fucking older,’ screeches frontman Michael Gatto on Fake ID, raging over the band’s cage-rattling guitar and drum attack before he lets out a gut-shredding yell, ‘Lemme in!’
The Venice Beach band’s ferocity here is fuelled as much by their members’ ages – ranging from 20 to 14 years-old in the case of drummer Revel Ian – as it is the injustice of being refused entry to a venue. It sets the tone for their supercharged debut, Time To Burn.
Diving straight in, Reasons and Hot Pursuit channel the thrashing, manic energy of Suicidal Tendencies and Circle Jerks. Guitarist Jay Vargas and bassist Adam Escoto riff at a hundred miles an hour, while Michael screams, ‘XCOMM are coming for your life!’ Out of this opening salvo, One And Nothing switches gears as the band settle into a trippy goth groove. The razor-sharp guitar stabs echo across a suburban sprawl of telephone wires and disconnection, while DJ Hunter Grogan sends weird noises into the abyss.
It makes sense that Ian’s gateway into hardcore was Turnstile’s boundary-smashing Glow On. While the freedom and energy of hardcore is XCOMM’s central inspiration, they also colour outside the lines. Songs warp and shift. Time To Burn slows from head-butting onslaught to a stoner rock crawl, while Running Zeroes leans into mutated pop rock.
Some may raise an eyebrow that drummer Revel's dad is Anthrax riff-general Scott Ian, or that a bunch of youngsters landed a support slot with Foo Fighters. Those sceptics will miss the point, though. The unbridled energy and conviction that powers Borrowed Happiness just can’t be faked, and the band have been throwing all ages shows from a Venice Beach home. Not to mention Revel could drum rings around even Dave Grohl in his Scream days on colossal closer Negativity.
There’s still a long road ahead, but XCOMM are blazing their own trail with talent beyond their years. Time To Burn is riotous proof.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Suicidal Tendencies, Speed, Turnstile
Time To Burn is out now via Blowed Out
