Feral State – II
(Road To Masochist/Noise Merchant/Feral State)
LP | CD | Tape | DL
Out 26 Sept 2025
The second album by Leicester D-beat thrashers Feral State is huge and energetic and “like being run over by an aural tank” says Nathan Brown.
This is crushingly brutal in a Disfear or Wolfpack way. It’s like being run over by an aural tank and I love it. Every now and then you get a bit of metal crunch that bands like Cro Mags were so adept at. Feral State launch a 13 song Scando attack of fast riffs with motoring mid pace chunky sections, smuggled melodies or cheeky crossover guitar licks thrown in for good measure.
Feral State have song titles like Live In Fear, Constant Terror, Scab, Mould Ridden and Nuclear. The whole shit parade of life is in there but they refuse to give up. Head bowed down, they roar at the coming oblivion. Whether the song Head Drill is about mental health, or about the tinnitus that playing in a band this rowdy no doubt induces, is open to interpretation.
This is not happy music full of love and flowers, but then it doesn’t feel like there is much of that in the world at the moment. War, death, chaos, the state of this country, the state of their living conditions, the state of their mental health (not surprising given the preceding conditions). Ready To Fall seems to sum up where we are right now. “A world ready to fall at the hands of pigs”…”Not long now until we all fall down”. They continue to capture the zeitgeist on Bad time “We’re in a bad time, stuck in a bad time”. When they ask “Was it ever better?” are they being sarcastic or nihilistic?
A fitting follow up to their impressive debut album and split EPs, this is a huge and energetic sounding release from a band that are really impressive in a live environment. They’re heavy without being metal. They’re fast without being a blur. More crushing than being sat on by Giant Haystacks and with more crunch than a carrot. In short if you like your hardcore punk fast and heavy you need to seek this out.
Get it on vinyl, CD or tape from the band via bandcamp from 26 Sept
Vinyl from Road To Masochist
Tapes from Noise Merchant
Bandcamp: https://feral-state.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: / feralstate666
Instagram: / feralstatehc
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Words by Nathan Brown. You can read more from Nathan on his Louder Than War archive over here.
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