A small handful of cracking EPs + a large handful of high profile support slots x 2 years = Hondo Maclean** have an album ready for unleashing upon the masses. And it is good.
Hondo Maclean are far too anti-commercial to reach the heady heights that their peers may have done in the past, but let that deter you not. Hailing from the South Wales massive, these crazy kids audibly throw themselves around this record just as they do when playing live. Staccato guitars and soaring vocals are welded together with, occasionally forced, screeching and screaming and thunderous bass.
Yes, it’s emo-core and yes it’s all been done about two years ago but fuck it, this is good! The notable references to cool shit like MASK and Chopper, help no end. While there are some absolutely cracking songs near the beginning and end, there's a bit of unwelcome filler that's likely to have you reaching for the skip button a couple of times.
By no means expect this to be the second coming of screamo, but you should not anticipate a lifeless and meaningless damp squib of a record either.
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6Brian E. Jemimah's Score