Brighton newcomers Every Hell are an absolute bottle rocket of a band. Comprised of ex-members of Broker, Memory Of Elephants and the much loved, sorely missed Black Peaks, the quartet bring all of the character from their previous projects and splice it with a rich, explosive, adrenaline-fuelled rush. Their debut EP ‘Vertebrate’ is the perfect introduction into their world and there’s a very high chance that you’ll want to stay there for a very, very long time.
There’s something that becomes immediately gripping when you’re listening to this, an underlying tension that feels like it’s mere moments from violently snapping. That feeling can be translated into authenticity, and it’s something that the project packs in spades. The whole EP was recorded completely raw – recorded to tape, single takes, zero edits – and the thrill ride it creates is like a teleport to one of their live shows. Close your eyes and you can feel the heat in the room, the lights as they flash past your eyes, the energy pouring out of the music; if you’ve been looking for some new music to shoot electricity through your system, you’ve found it.
There’s a lot of power packed into the six tracks on offer here. Opening number ‘Bad Cop’ kicks things off with a high-octane joyride, presenting fizzy bass lines, jarring lead licks, thick riffs and vocalist Will Gardner’s multi-layered attack. The track was written about familial conflict and you can really feel the hostility, the instruments all fighting one another for their moment in the spotlight. ‘Freaking Out’ offers up a soundtrack that reflects its title with a real dark and dense low end that stalks the entire song, a vocal that moves from passionate verses to banshee shrieks melodies and bonkers pedal effects in the guitar parts often feeling a little hazy and off kilter, but purposely so.
The rest of the tracklisting is teeming with excellence, too. ‘Revery’ is a murky and fury-filled delight that’s both gloomy and exhilarating, ‘Ghost’ is an eerie yet stunning ballad hybrid that’ll have your spine tingling from top to bottom, ‘The Watcher’ is a slick and sleazy rocker with sledgehammer bass tones and some seriously sexy saxophone lines, and then there’s the mind-melting EP closer ‘Another Killer’. The track is a white knuckle ride in every single sense, moving through, punk, doom, math, rock, metal and more in its four-minute run time, but does it ever feel unsure of itself or scattered? Not even for a second. The energy from the live recording really glues everything together, emitting a sense of intention and pure energy that’s impossible not to be hypnotised by.
For a debut release, it doesn’t get much better than this. The songwriting is evocative and exciting, the recording is unique and really captures the bands depth and vitality and, above all else, it makes you wish it was longer. No one knows when we can expect the full length, but ‘Vertebrate’ is delicious enough to fill our appetite until the time comes. An absolute corker.
DAVE STEWART