Weekend Nachos - Still | Review

The self-proclaimed “Hatebreed for wimps” act Weekend Nachos are at it again with another release on the Upper Darby, Pennsylvania record label, Relapse Records. This newest effort, titled Still, is the same ‘ole powerviolence/grind/hardcore amalgamation everyone expects from the Chicago outfit.

Powerviolence isn’t a sub-genre of hardcore that lends itself to creativity and invention (unless the band being spoken of is Man is the Bastard), but there’s a lot that Weekend Nachos does right, and perhaps better than their contemporaries. There’s a vast range of influence that comes through on all of their albums -- Still is no different. Weekend Nachos utilizes a vast range of influences, from hardcore acts like Youth of Today and Haymaker to powerviolence acts like No Comment and Crossed Out. They’re not just a powerviolence band, however; the Bleed E.P. made certain of that. But the influence does come through in spades on Still, right from the get-go. “Suffer No More” lasts only forty-four seconds, but switches between powerviolence and hardcore, ending with a two-step part that just straight-up grooves. “No Idols and No Heroes” is some old-fashioned beatdown hardcore; it’s the kind of track that would open up the pit and send everyone into a frenzy.

It’s one of the strongest parts of Weekend Nachos’ sound. They have mastered “negative hardcore”. There’s a few acts that play in a similar vein (UK’s Gets Worse is a prime example), but none do it better than Chicago’s finest. Still contains tracks that are sincerely aggressive; “S.C.A.B.”, “Satan Sucker”, “You’re Not Punk”, and “Ignore”. “Watch You Suffer” is a brilliant mix of hardcore and sludge metal; like most of Weekend Nachos’ tracks, it is merciless in its delivery and assaults the listener directly, like good hardcore should do.

Weekend Nachos switches their sound up on each album, and each album is unique. Of course, there will be people who prefer Worthless to Still, and others who prefer Punish and Destroy to Unforgivable, but the takeaway should be that the band constantly improves upon itself, and pours everything they have into every album. Still punishes the listener with powerviolence, sludge, and even drone, showcasing the creative exploits of the band while retaining unearthly levels of vitriol and negativity. The blend of hardcore and its sub-genres with influences from the heaviest of heavy metal works so well -- quite possibly better than on albums like Worthless. Sure, that album is great, but Still is an album in the Weekend Nachos discography that should be praised, even heralded as one of the finest works the band has ever produced.

Bill Haff

Band info: www.facebook.com/weekendxnachos
Label info: www.relapse.com

Editor-in-Chief at Scratch the Surface, Bill Haff is a Philadelphia-based music critic who also contributes for Cvlt Nation, Metal Injection and Ghost Cult. You can follow him on Twitter at @bill_haff