Rape Revenge - "Paper Cage" EP Review

This record is for people that are finding powerviolence bands aren’t sounding angry enough.  Because this record seethes with anger.  This is dissonant and hard hitting fastcore that sounds as impassioned as the members (Rape Revenge are all vegan and straight edge, with lyrics dealing with a wide range of social and political issues), and really a band that knows what they’re doing.  No part overstays its welcome, or song for that matter, with only 3 of 16 surpassing a minute, and when they do slow it down it works gloriously.  I have yet to see a Rape Revenge show where they don’t manage to get the crowd moving, and frankly it’s hard not to.  The vocals are venomous and often painfully high pitched in the best way possible, and essential to how absurdly pissed this band sounds.  Paper Cage also contains some of the most interesting riffs I’ve heard in a fastcore record recently, and as cool as sped up punk riffs are, we’ve all heard that a million times.  Their strangeness serves as a welcome breath of fresh air.  In addition the bass playing makes a convincing case for actually having a bass in powerviolence, I personally think that most of the time pv bands could drop their bassist and not be any worse off (sorry bassists reading this).  But the bass really shines on this record, it adds really nicely to the dynamic.  And man of man do I love Matt’s style of drumming. Fast, occasionally unconventional, and always hitting hard as shit.  If you get the chance to see them live keep an eye on him, he has the loosest toms I’ve ever seen and manages to get them to sound great, by sheer force.  Only half of the band that was on their first self titled 7” are on this one, but you can tell by the increase in quality that the right choices were made.  The first one had the sound down, but the song writing is miles ahead on Paper Cage, and I’m sure the better quality recordings don’t hurt either.  This is without a doubt one of my favorite records of the year, awesome band, awesome people, and as I’m sure you can tell by this point I’d highly recommend that you check them out.  To Live a Lie put this out, so you know where to get it, and don’t miss the chance to see RR on their states tour, the dates are on their tumblr.

Rating: 9/10

~Isaac