REVIEW: Oak - “Your Mess As Much As Mine” (EP)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 28/01/2017

Label: Truthseeker Music

The band deliver a breathless mix of Converge at their most knotty, mixed with a distinctly European brand of screamo/chaotic hardcore that hits hard. These tracks are really brought to life by some frantic, complex drum work that channels the spirit of Ben Koller.  “Your Mess As Much As Mine” is a brief but brilliant release from Oak that shows the band are more than capable of holding their own against the heavyweights of the genre.

“Your Mess As Much As Mine” DD//LP track listing:

1). Broken Bodied

2). Garden

3). For Better or Worse

4). Elsewhere

5). Family and Friends

The Review:

Oak’s new EP “Your Mess As Much As Mine” may only be seventeen minutes long but it makes a strong impact over its short duration.

The Gothenburg trio come out of traps hard with the fierce opening trio of “Broken Bodied”, “Garden” and “For Better or Worse”. The band deliver a breathless mix of Converge at their most knotty, mixed with a distinctly European brand of screamo/chaotic hardcore that hits hard. These tracks are really brought to life by some frantic, complex drum work that channels the spirit of Ben Koller.

“Elsewhere” sees the band ease up on the gas while maintaining high levels of spite. It’s a slower track that sees Oakintroduce elements of noise rock and culminates in a crushing doom riff that is eventually overpowered by a rising tide of raw noise. “Family and Friends”provides a fitting end to the EP, five minutes of intensity that brings together the different elements explored over the previous tracks for a raucous finale.

“Your Mess As Much As Mine”is a brief but brilliant release from Oak that shows the band are more than capable of holding their own against the heavyweights of the genre.

“Your Mess As Much As Mine” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook