Kill Uncle – We Are the Wicked
Buffalo harcore punk quartet Kill Uncle lash out with ten new tracks of perpetually pissed-off hardcore punk on their killer debut album We Are the Wicked.
Founded by lead vocalist Billie Page (Lockjaw, Wrong the Oppressor) in the Spring of 2023 at the encouragement of a friend, the line-up solidified with the recruitment of Khari Waits (Onnpoint, Disrepair, Hostile Thoughts), bassist Sean Reverie (Reverie, Makeshift Graves) and drummer Dan Marin (Coterie of Stern, Skags). Since then, Kill Uncle has wasted no time building up a profile with a steady stream of Black Flag and horror punk-inspired releases while rocking stages across the 716.
We Are the Wicked opens with the squealing dissonant strings of “I Am in Hell Help Me,” a previously released single and excellent table-setter to the band’s abrasive buffet. What stands out instantly are Page’s distinctive barking vocals; delivered with enough force and ferocity to break down brick walls. Instrumentally, Page’s pipes are supported with a contagious combination of distortion-soaked riffs and hopscotch drums that build to a groovy bass break and guitar solo. With all these elements in play, each section feels fresh and engaging; a recurring theme that keeps We Are the Wicked from ever getting boring or repetitive.
Next up on the track list and clocking in at a breakneck 30-seconds is “Disgraced.” Kill Uncle takes no prisoners and stamps the pedal to the metal with this bludgeoning hardcore speed run. As high energy as it is high tempo, expect your heart rate to spike as Page and company bulldoze their way through verses before rallying into a catchy, melodic bridge. It’s short, mean, and over before you know it.
The first true standout on the record is the single, “Werewolves of Kaisertown.” This earworm bores into your brain the way old Misfits tracks used to: with commanding vocals, gritty riffs and gang choruses. Waits’ opening chords promise a stellar song while Reverie and Marin’s bass and drums bounce along to fill out a fun, eerie rhythm. Billie’s magnetic howls and lyrics are especially noteworthy and create a tipsy, dizzy-bat cadence that makes you feel like you’re stumbling home from Porky’s.
“Total Control” is another bruising song you don’t want to skip and sees Kill Uncle leaning heavily into their Black Flag influences. The band crashes in like a sledgehammer with rapid-fire, hardcore verses and choruses for an ironically out of control first portion. Upon suffering a sonic aneurysm, the assault grinds down to a sole beefy bass line that echoes as if inside a vacant mind. Waits and Marin gradually build the beat and tempo back up with spazzy, sanity-testing tones and textures that leads to a total psychotic break.
Closing out the record is the tense title track, “We Are the Wicked.” Its red herring intro drops your guard with mellow bass chords and a head-nodding rock groove before fading to black. Page sits in the stillness of the beat and shatters it with the haunting bellow, “all the evils, all them in me,” an arresting and ruthlessly cold lyric that cuts deep to the psyche. That trigger launches into the meat of the song with alternating sections of speedy drum fills and fast-picking to more melodic and catchy rhythms.
As a whole, We Are the Wicked rocks. On an audio level, each band member sounds crisp, clean, and balanced thanks to the talents of Joe Rotten (One Way Terror) of Rotten Metal Recordings behind the boards. The biggest pitfall a lot of hardcore bands fall into is when their material starts to sound formulaic, however, Kill Uncle avoids this by giving each song “a moment” or hook that keeps it standing out amongst the rest. Another highlight is Page who is a fantastically wild vocalist and anchor for the band’s style of loud, aggressive and unpredictable music. They bring a rawness and distinct identity that makes Kill Uncle unmistakable. If Kill Uncle wasn’t on your radar before, they will be after this record.
We Are the Wicked is out now via all streaming platforms including Bandcamp, Apple Music and Spotify.
Catch Kill Uncle live on May 8th at Revolution Lounge alongside Motorhead tribute, Iron Fist, and keep an ear out for details on upcoming Pride performances at Milkies and Third Space in June.
Categorised in: Album of the Week
This post was written by Matt Burgerhoff