ALBUM REVIEW – SECT: PLAGUES UPON PLAGUES : Silent Radio

I always hesitate to use the word “supergroup” to describe bands like Sect, but if there was a band that would fit the bill, it would be Sect. A vegan straight edge hardcore metal band consisting of Chris Colohan of Cursed and Burning Love, James Chang of Undying, Steve Hart of Day of Suffering, Scott Crouse of vegan straight edge legends Earth Crisis, and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy (yes, seriously, although his credentials check out given his stints as a drummer for several hardcore bands, including Earth Crisis).

Wounds on wounds is the band’s first album in 5 years, and their fourth overall. There’s also, if you ask me, good reason to say it’s their best. Opener “No Uncertain Terms” opens with a menacing lull, with the rhythm section ratcheting up the tension as Colohan mutters nihilistic musings. The heaviness descends after the declaration “The structure is rotten, rotten through and through,” followed by “There’s nothing left but free fall now. Just this frenzy, this panic that claws like dogs at anything that isn’t nailed down.” Soundtracking this opening manifesto of doom is an angry, crushing barrage of armored guitars and a cacophonous percussive force. When the guitars later drop, a corrosive, caustic bass tone is exhumed from the rubble. The track is a strong start to the album, showcasing every element of the record and setting up a narrative centered on the wasteland that awaits the failure of any action against the systemic rot of society. The last minute and a half of the track is a venomous campaign of destruction that builds to an anthemic climax, ending with an ominous question: “What is left to save?”

“New Low” is one of the catchiest tracks on the album. Focused on depression, the track is a behemoth that makes quick work of its 3-minute runtime. The chants of “New low, new low, so low,” accentuated by the shifting riff below have been etched in my head since I first heard it, along with the lyrics “it’s not for me/because survival ain’t the prize it used to be.” Next comes the chaotic explosion of “Drowning In Sorrows,” with its dissonant riff and frenetic drums, as well as a slow riff in its final half that deserves a stinkface more than any listener.

“Zerzan Wept” is one of my standout tracks. The opening doom riff that precedes a perfectly timed two-part riff, the more melodic midsection driven by the bass backline, the anthemic guitars that rise from the ashes, and the final blast of heaviness at the end combine to showcase all of the band’s strengths. The lyrics are no exception, with an eye toward the healing of nature beyond humanity. “There were problems/but now they’re fixing themselves… it won’t be long now until the tall grass grows over everything/this isn’t the end, this is the real beginning.” It’s perhaps the most optimistic track on the record, if you ignore the fact that this healing obviously comes without us “The vast, it owes you nothing/and a stillness, it arrives.”

In a phenomenal showdown, “#ForeverHome” comes next, focusing on animals being used as fashion accessories and products rather than being treated as living beings. Like a dirge in its execution, the song meanders through its first two minutes before shattering the glass and brutalizing your eardrums with cataclysmic force. When everything but the vocals and drums stop, the viciousness in Colohan’s singing is even more evident. The lyrics dig into the root of this pure rage, addressing those who objectify animals “(I) have a forever home in mind for all the ‘saviors’ and all their kind / And I don’t even believe in hell, but for you… so who’s the trash to throw away? So who’s the beast to put down?”

There are many highlights on this record. The chaotic intro to “Inventory,” the terrific riff on “Six Black Lines,” and the grinding explosions that appear on “The Lovers of Life” are among the most notable. I really, really like this record. Metallic hardcore has produced some of my favorite records in recent years (including those by the “supergroup” END) and Wounds on wounds is no exception. I’ve always liked Sect, I just never love them. Until now. I love This album is dark, almost funereal in its lyrical approach, as if it were dipped in the briny lees of the world’s ever-worsening problems. The mixing by Converge’s Kurt Ballou gives the album the urgency and rawness it needs. I can’t recommend it enough. Wounds on wounds That’s enough. Go listen to it. Now. It can’t – and won’t – wait.

Sect: Plagues Upon Plagues – Released June 7, 2024 (Southern Lord)

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