Album Review: Raised Fist - 'From The North'

Raised Fist are a different kind. These Swedish hardcore demons are running at the world with fire, passion and loaded unclean vocals and if ‘From The North’ is anything to go by, they’re better than ever.

Opener ‘Flow’ puts a spotlight on one of the record’s greatest components: its vocals. The screams that Hagman produces are guttural, strangled and anomalous. You’ll bear witness to this also during the unanticipated high, rough, jumpy hardcore of ‘Depression’ and the straining ‘Insinkable’.  At the same time, Hagman’s voice moves outside the box on ‘Ready To Defy’ and ‘We Will Live Forever’, the latter of which offers a poignant moment that colours hardcore with heart.

If you need further justification before you bow down to these (often apoplectic) uncleans, listen to ‘Gates’. These screams are so fast you’ll lose your breath singing along, and we guarantee that to keep up with its beat in a circle pit you wouldn’t have to run at each other: you’d have to sprint.

As well as its shining vocals, the instrumentals on the record are additionally an asset. The distinguishable drums on ‘Chaos’ and ‘Sanctions’ cement their place as a respite from the electronically mechanised percussion we often hear. ‘Until The End’ is an integrous belter that contains an extremely well-placed stop start.

But don’t get us wrong – having good music doesn’t detract from the fact that Raised Fist also have something to say. There’s a potent climate change reference on ‘Man and Earth’ and a careless 1-2-screw-you attitude on ‘In Circles’. Funnily enough, these foreign Swedish lads have an outstanding proficiency in English profanity.

‘From The North’ is a hardcore record with sharp teeth and biting instrumentals. Long story short, it shreds. Undoubtedly, this is going to be the album that re-ignites Raised Fist’s career.

1. Flow

2. Chaos

3. Man and Earth

4. In Circles

5. We Will Live Forever

6. Sanctions

7. Ready To Defy

8. Depression

9. Gates

10. Until The End

11. Insinkable