ALBUM REVIEW: Burden – Last Hounds

It’s clear from their name alone that LAST HOUNDS are a band with plenty of bite. Arriving after a lengthy COVID-indebted delay, their debut full-length feels like a release of all the pent up energy of the past 18 months or so. Entitled Burden, it’s a riotous introduction to the Midlands-based five-piece, one that majors on chest-beating defiance and a general mosh-ready urgency. It’s also quite an accessible record, with an emphasis on unity and camaraderie lending it an intensely motivational quality. With influences from the likes of GALLOWS and LETLIVE. worn firmly on sleeve, it’s hard to get through this 31 minutes without wanting to overthrow someone or something.

More or less by requirement for music like this, LAST HOUNDS are quick to raise pulses on Burden. Opener Snakeskin is all aggro, with gang vocals declaring “You just fucked it up again!” as the band kick the door down with thunderous riff-heavy swagger. This remains their M.O. throughout, with high-octane hardcore punk providing a solid backdrop to frontman Mike Skelcher’s snarling social commentary. Sixth track Incinerate for example is a pissed off punk rocker that refuses to be ignored, Skelcher and co. asking their listeners “Can you hear me!?”. Right after that, the band take aim at our “so called leaders” on the boisterous and bouncing recent single Bleed. As politically-charged tracks go, it’s not particularly nuanced, but it still serves its stirring purpose well.

For all LAST HOUNDS’ fury, it’s not unreasonable to imagine that much of Burden could have some crossover appeal. This isn’t that joyless brand of hardcore that seems so popular nowadays, it’s actually a lot of fun, and often quite melodic. Skelcher certainly knows his way around a massive hook, not least on tracks like Handmade, Slow Burn and They Say. These work their way straight into your head, leaving loads of potential for huge live sing-alongs. The frontman’s delivery even leans towards rapping at points too, the raucous Running With The Dead providing a prime example.

Realistically, the only black mark one might place against Burden is that we’ve heard a lot of this before. Between the comparisons mentioned above and a few others, there’s not loads that’s unique about LAST HOUNDS at the moment. Then again, this is only their debut full-length, and in that regard it’s an incredibly accomplished one. The energy never dips, and neither does the quality, with the album ending on a particularly strong three-track run. Here, Lay Me Down and Do Or Die provide two final solid sing-alongs before closer Innocence rounds things out with 53 seconds of blistering and bratty punk rock rage.

As debuts go, you couldn’t ask for much more from LAST HOUNDS on Burden. It reveals a band with tonnes of potential and a knack for writing songs that are as catchy as they are angry. They may not have the clearest sense of identity just yet, but the ingredients are all there. With their sights set firmly on some of the genre’s most respected names, it’s safe to expect LAST HOUNDS to grow into quite the accessible entry point for the UK’s thriving hardcore and punk scenes.

Rating: 7/10

Burden is set for release on October 22nd via Venn Records.

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