Frustrerad – The Truth In Lies 7″

I can’t even express how much I missed some relentless d-beat/hardcore punk music. It’s been a while since I listened to or even wrote an article about some fast, aggressive, loud music, so finally, I got a chance to do it. This interesting 7″ record popped up in my mailbox recently, and it’s not like I wasn’t expecting it, but somehow I was even more excited when it came because I knew how these guys sound. Frustrerad is a ferocious Belgian d-beat trio that emanates from Ghent, and The Truth In Lies is their debut extended play recording. I listened to their demo recordings before and was instantly hooked on their powerful music. However, I was even more surprised when I heard their debut EP.

The Truth In Lies consists of four feral anthems, which are proudly carrying the banner of d-beat genre. Frustrerad blends several complementary subgenres to achieve such an outstanding sound. Besides dominant d-beat aesthetics, you may hear some classic eighties Swedish hardcore and crust punk. Frustrerad perhaps plays on the safe card by exploring the traditional d-beat music, but there’s something about their performance that resonates in such a specific manner. Their approach is abrasive, fast, aggressive, loud, relentless, but somehow their music bursts with an entirely different atmosphere than other bands that roam the contemporary d-beat scene. It seems like these guys reached a perfect sound but measuring the ideal amount of each involved subgenre, so their music continuously levitates between crusty aesthetics and blistering hardcore punk.

Frustrerad solely relies upon four-chord progressions and fast-paced robust riffages, decorated with semi-distorted basslines and pacey rhythmic maneuvers. Fast switching between bare-chords and riffs is one of the principal elements of their energetic music, while the rhythm section keeps everything dynamic and stable. There’s a particular layer of noisiness and loudness coming from the continuous splashing over the crash, splash, and ride cymbals. Besides guitars, you may hear equally brilliant chunky low-end tones, which are giving even more character to their sound. The Truth In Lies liberates so much noise, power, and aggression that you’ll crave another dosage of these d-beat anthems after the first spinning.

Frustrerad has done a tremendous job with this outstanding extended play, and I cannot wait until their next recording. The Truth In Lies comes on a 7″ vinyl record, decorated with a classic black/white/red visual identity. The inlay includes all the lyrics, while the back cover carries the tracklist with other necessary information. This 7″ is strictly limited to 300 copies, so better act fast. Head over to their Bandcamp page and order one for yourself.