Powerviolence and Little Rock, Arkansas may not seem like the most regular of associates, given that the city's major musical exports all tread a much slower, heavier path (shout out to Pallbearer and Rwake!). But stranger things have come from stranger places, and if Terminal Nation's latest EP, Absolute Control, is the regional standard, then those standards are more than a little exceptional. And angry. Like, rabid pitbull-on-meth levels of angry.From the dissonant introduction of opening track "Assembly Line" quickly cutting into a growling beatdown, the brutality is threateningly direct and focused without restraint. Tracks like "War in the Name of Peace" through "Violator/Violated" effortlessly cross their Infest and Weekend Nachos influences with the streetwise ferocity of metallic hardcore-meets-grindcore blasts and stomps.Forming back in 2014, with one demo cassette and 2015's Waste seven-inch EP under their belts, Terminal Nation's ability to harness their sound on this latest EP leaves only want for a full-length release. Until then, buckle-up for the release of Absolute Control on June 9th via Deep Six Records—it puts the power and violence back into powerviolence.
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Photo by Kurt Lunsford