Album Review: Spread Thin – World of Snakes (Self Released)

Spread Thin is bringing their unique blend of hardcore from Wisconsin, USA to listeners around the world with their upcoming debut full-length album ‘World of Snakes’, which drops on July 26, 2024.

Short and to the point, Spread Thin have a sour outlook and plenty to say, but keep the focus sharp with an album that barely passes the eighteen-minute mark in length but features nine tracks. With all but one of the tracks sitting around the two-minute mark, it’s really no surprise that this is a violent and virulent expulsion of hardcore punk and metal intensity.

From the moment So Much Hate arrives, Spread Thin are swinging hard with their unflinching heavy sound. One that alternates impressively between garish speed and methodical strength. The latter part of this track is killer. Although delivering knockout blows is par for the course with Spread Thin. Factory Job, a manic venting session for everyone who has had to experience the back-breaking work of such a job, Gaslit, a track that is brutally honest and brutally harsh, and Know What’s Bullshit?, a straight up barrage of heavy hardcore fury demanding you wake up to the depressing reality of routine.

Spread Thin aren’t saying or doing anything particularly unique here, but they are expressing themselves in such a volatile way, you can’t help but take notice of them. There’s the shortest track on the album, Unjustified. A sixty-one second example of an old-school punk infused hardcore groover. Then there’s the longest track on the album at over three minutes, Friendly Deception, which finds Spread Thin sounding more furious, more fixated, more concentrated, and more personal than ever with a hefty metal-focused beast of a track. That it has a thrashy flavour, is extra special.

From this point on, it’s a race to the finish and Spread Thin make sure that it’s a heart-racing one with a trio of bullish efforts. Nailed, a feral jab at Christianity (and all religion to some degree) and inspired by the absurd overturning of Roe V. Wade. Moodswings, which turns out to be an apt title as musically, it can be difficult to process the tone switches and it packs varying levels of intensity into around a minute and a half of music.

Finally, it’s Listen Up! One last chance to join Spread Thin in letting your frustrations out and going absolutely wild as only the best hardcore punk and metal sounds allow. There’s nothing game changing about World of Snakes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t mightily enjoyable.

Spread Thin – World of Snakes Track Listing:

1. So Much Hate
2. Factory Job
3. Gaslit
4. Know What’s Bullshit?
5. Unjustified
6. Friendly Deception
7. Nailed
8. Moodswings
9. Listen Up!

Links

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