New Bastions EP and Vinyl/T-Shirt Packages

Bastions' new EP, 'Living Island' is released next week.

Vinyl and t-shirt packages are available through Tangled Talk.

Album Review: Bastions - Island Living

Bastions are brutal. Their latest EP, ‘Island Living’, refuses to break with this tradition: they effectively combine the raw throat vocals of Gallows with the stand-out riffs of hardcore veterans Converge, whilst opposing the sheen on their peers' shiny production. It’s most definitely hardcore for hardcore fans.

The title track serves as a fitting introduction to the EP, as Jamie Burne screams such emotionally-driven lyrics as “You drag me down” over riff after relentless riff. The remaining two tracks reflect the first in intensity, allowing for a brief lull in the darkly epic ‘The Great Unwashed’, which sees the band slow the tempo of the EP without losing their power.

Album Review: Bastions - Kingdom of Dogs EP

Welsh hardcore quartet Bastions, are kicking up a slight fuss at the moment and it's clear to see why after sampling EP 'Kingdom of Dogs'. Imagine Gallows, but far rougher around the edges and with a more metal edge. Bastions brand is a furious, explosive hardcore that is sure to see them gain more attention as we progress through 2010.

Opener 'Crooked Hands' is a brutal beginning, grabbing us by the throat and dragging us from tranquillity to carnage before you have a chance to breathe. 'Misery King' is very reminiscent of Frank Carter and Co, with an ending that can only be described as violently anthemic. Nausea shows the band's scope, with a rhythm and change of pace that packs a Mike Tyson esque punch.