#initial state

Initial State live in Columbia,SC 1994

Every Record I Own - Day 592: Initial State Abort the Soul

Abort the Soul is the lone release by Initial State, a short-lived gloomy hardcore band containing three members of the revered Southern crust band Antischism. Initial State played only four shows before breaking up, but their twelve songs captured such a unique blend of weight, aggression, noise, and space that the band has maintained a presence in the hardcore scene through their influence on such high profile peers as His Hero Is Gone and Damad. I originally bought Abort the Soul on CD, yet as my CD collection has migrated to increasingly inaccessible corners of closets and storage spaces, I eventually deemed it necessary to pick up one of the various vinyl represses.

Like yesterday’s Infest album, Abort the Soul vacillates between blindingly fast punk tempos and lurching bulldozer riffs, but Initial State also knew how to navigate tempos between mach-speed and crushing crawl. Even beyond tempos, Initial State were considerably more musically sophisticated than most of their hardcore peers. One of the refreshing things about the band was that the members knew when not to play, allowing the songs more breathing room, more dynamics, and ultimately more impact in the moments where everyone locked in on a riff. Vocalist Lyz had a particularly tortured yell, with made the band feel less antagonistic and more tormented. Throw in a dash of death rock, and you have uniquely dark and harrowing hardcore record. 

INITIAL STATE

INITIAL STATE