Candiria
300 Percent Density

Don't be fooled by the oh-so-hard title - 300 Percent Density isn't a one-dimensional shouty Biohazard-type thing. That's part of it, yes, but there's also the jazz bits, and the brief atmospheric interludes, and the melody and intelligence. You've never heard anything quite like this. Candiria tear the generic NYHC sound in half, and jam all kinds of progressive jazz in the middle, before cementing it all back together again. The opening title track is a blatant statement of intent, full of sudden time changes and breakdowns, but with some solid, brutal hardcore in there too. The band cite Madball, Earth Crisis, John Coltrane and Astrud Gilberto as influences, which might give you some idea where they're coming from (i.e. lots of directions at once).

Constant Velocity is as Natural as Being at Rest is a masterpiece, Brooklyn hardcore with trad jazz breakdowns in the middle, jumping all over the place like something my Dad might listen to. Advancing Positions and Words From The Lexicon are incessant and intense hip-hop things, and Signs of Discontent sounds like Glassjaw, with all its screaming and sudden quiet bits. And just when you think there's nothing left to surprise you, along comes a bit of piano, or a brassy interlude. And the most flagrantly un-harcore moments are saved for the bonus track, twelve minutes of tribal-flavoured ambience.

300 Percent Density continually beats you over the head with new ideas, never pausing for long enough to get complacent, and leaving the listener with hints of what could be rather than exhaustive exploration. Perhaps a tad challenging if you're expecting the basic NYHC approach, but it's well worth that extra bit of effort for something which breathes so much life into a stagnating scene.