Cursed "III: Architects of Troubled Sleep"

Let's get one thing -- one thing that you all should know and firmly believe -- in the open: Cursed is fucking awesome, totally badass, and one of the best hardcore bands out there. Just listen to their first two full lengths and more recent 7-inch EP, Blackout at Sunrise, and try and tell me otherwise. I dare you.

Or try the band's newest effort, III: Architects of Troubled Sleep. It's as stellar as anything else Cursed has written.

While this Canadian hardcore band has always played harder and with more intensity than just about any other band I've heard, III comprises some of their hardest-hitting material yet. There are more blast beats. There's sludgier, more unnerving heaviness. The textures are rawer. Cursed ultimately hits hardcore's extremes a little more often -- "Night Terrors" is a frantic, light-speed opener, while the mid-album "Friends in the Music Business" is a massive, lumbering jaunt with menacingly sludgy riffs and a slow, beastly tempo. Cursed fills the gaps with their familiar brand of crusty, ominous hardcore punk, replete with throaty vocals that sound as bitter and disdainful as the messages behind them, and a couple brooding, meandering songs ("Unnecessary Person," "Gutters") that carry the cheer of three straight days of rain. (Not a lot. I know from last week.) There's a sense of pacing to III, with slower songs and bigger riffs breaking up the jolts of neck-snapping, driving hardcore.

The raw, analog recording adds character to the tunes and is a perfect complement to Cursed's style. Polish simply wouldn't sound natural on such an inherently harsh sound, and it wouldn't mesh with the nihilistic, socially aware lyrics or fittingly black-and-gray color scheme. All things considered, III is another tight, intense package from Canada's finest. I may be caught up in the excitement of the record, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that there's hardly a better modern hardcore band than Cursed.

Cursed - Magic Fingers
Cursed - Friends in the Music Business

Spend your $10 on something totally worthwhile over at the Relapse store.