EP REVIEW: At Her Majesty’s Pleasure – Borstal

“No mess, no fuss, just pure impact. Fuckin’ BORSTAL!” It’s hard to put it any better than those nine words which open the final track of At Her Majesty’s Pleasure. The debut EP from the UK hardcore supergroup is definitely low on flash and frills. Instead, the band concentrate their efforts on creating high-energy, high octane, and hard as nails hardcore. The results might not sound particularly ground-breaking, but when it’s done this well that’s hardly a problem. Specifically, fans of the straight to the point aggro of bands like AGNOSTIC FRONT or MADBALL could do a lot worse than these 18 minutes.

The project is notable for featuring Pierre Mendivil of UK hardcore legends KNUCKLEDUST. With him are members of the admittedly smaller UKHC bands DRIPBACK and KING OF PIGS. All these are safe pairs of hands for an EP of this kind, but perhaps more surprising is the presence of drummer Nick Barker. Barker, of course, is more of an extreme metal man, known for his work with CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR and BRUJERIA, among others. While his technical chops were never in question, Barker‘s playing is a definite stand-out throughout. He injects the record with plenty of tight double kick work and impressive fills – all produced to crisp perfection. It’s also clear that he and the rest of the band with him are enjoying themselves.

The record opens with police sirens and samples of crime reports as BORSTAL quickly kick into a stomping mid-paced groove. They stay here a while before eventually tearing into something faster and more raging. Here, Mendivil announces himself with his harsh bark – pretty much exactly what you’d expect for a record like this. In the song’s sole chorus, he’s joined by the rest of the band who back him with thuggish gang vocals. As promised, it’s simple, hard-hitting and aggressive stuff and it doesn’t mess around for one second.

BORSTAL definitely stay in this no-nonsense, raging gear throughout At Her Majesty’s Pleasure, and it’s one hard not to enjoy. Second track Karma is another straightforward rager. The pace remains high, and there are even more gang vocals which are sure to make for a prime live shout-along. We Stand As One after it is a rather typical call to hardcore unity, its chorus of “We won’t forget the struggle/We won’t forget the streets” appearing to reference New York Hardcore legends WARZONE‘s seminal full-length Don’t Forget The Struggle Don’t Forget The Streets.

It’s all solid stuff so far, but the album’s fourth track Vicious Circles may be the strongest of the bunch. With thrashy riffs, unity-centred lyrics, and even a verse delivered in Spanish, comparisons to AGNOSTIC FRONT are inescapable here. Mendivil gives a particularly intense performance, with the band matching his ferocity behind him. The song also lends itself to some massive headbanging, especially when Barker drops to more weighty half-time drumming. Again, it’s pretty standard stuff, but the old adage of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” definitely rings true here.

At Her Majesty’s Pleasure ends with a cover of King Of The Jungle by Brit Oi legends THE LAST RESORT. As seems to be common practice with covers in heavy music nowadays, BORSTAL’s take on the track is significantly beefier. It even features an appearance from THE LAST RESORT‘s own Arthur Kitchener, whose son Lee plays guitar in this band. There’s not much else to say about it – it’s a solid closer to an EP that’s never anything less.

At Her Majesty’s Pleasure isn’t much we haven’t heard before, but it’s hard to imagine BORSTAL will care. This is quite clearly the work of a group of people with a deep love of all things hardcore. Chances are if you don’t care much for the genre then this won’t be the record that wins you over. If hardcore is your thing however, then you’ll have a hard time finding anything to complain about with this EP. Pure impact indeed.

Rating: 8/10

At Her Majesty’s Pleasure is set for release on April 1st via 4Family Records.

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