Downfall – “Primitive Reality”

Richmond hardcore band Downfall — not to be confused with Richmond indie rock band Downhaul — regularly get people to go absolutely buckshit when they play live. But up until now, Downfall have not released that much music — a demo in 2017, the EP Dead To Me in 2019, nothing else. This summer, however, Downfall will release their full-length debut Behind The Curtain. The band has just shared the early track “Primitive Reality.” It’s a full-on Madball-style fuck-you-up anthem with the kind of breakdown that might cause you to attempt to clothesline an oncoming freight train. Listen to it below.

<a href="https://dazestyle.bandcamp.com/album/behind-the-curtain">Behind The Curtain by Downfall</a>

In other Richmond hardcore news, Mutually Assured Destruction leader Ace Stallings announced yesterday that he’d started a new label called Raven Records, which is dedicated to documenting the heavy-ass bands currently coming out of that town. Raven started off with two cassette releases from new Richmond bands that have been playing out a lot lately. Killing Pace have a fast, deranged sound that draws heavily on death metal and maybe even a little bit of power violence. Here’s their self-titled debut EP.

<a href="https://ravenrecords.bandcamp.com/album/killing-pace-s-t-ep">Killing Pace s/t EP by Raven Records</a>

Blazing Tomb, meanwhile, have a more straight-up metal sound, with longer songs and bigger riffs. I heartily recommend the song “Blazing Tomb” by Blazing Tomb from the Blazing Tomb EP, which you can stream below.

<a href="https://blazingtomb.bandcamp.com/album/blazing-tomb">Blazing Tomb by Blazing Tomb</a>

Downfall’s Behind The Curtain is out 7/1 on DAZE. The Killing Pace and Blazing Tomb EPs are out now on Raven Records. Downfall and Killing Pace will play Richmond this weekend as part of the Big Takeover festival, and I can’t wait.