In the fast-paced world of hardcore where fads and trends come and go (and with increasing rapidity), five years is an eternity. It’s long enough for a fanbase to move on and a band having no appreciable audience to play to. Thankfully UK bruisers Desolated aren’t the kind of band you can forget and their re-emergence on the scene has been welcomed with open arms (and ears). With new vocalist Tony Evans at the helm, Desolated are bringing some much needed musical aggro to the world of heavy music and their latest album, Finding Peace, serves up ten heavy hitters.
I’m sure that the guys in Desolated would baulk at the term “supergroup”, yet considering the band’s pedigree, no other word will suffice. The aforementioned Mr. Evans also plays with Idle Hands, guitarist Les Law serves time in Bun Dem Out and Fifty Calibre, Charlie Thorpe drums for Malevolence (to whose label MLVLTD Desolated are signed). With guitarist Richie Unsworth and bassist Dan Ford comprising the rest of the group, the band come primed and ready for action, and that’s precisely what opening shot ‘The Stomper’ serves up. Like a bullet appearing before your eyes, you don’t really see it until it hits you and it explodes with ballistic trauma. Clocking in at a cool 77 seconds, ‘The Stomper’ succinctly sets out the band’s stall; they don’t use two notes when one will suffice and deal in a level of heaviness that could swing with Black Sabbath (and possibly win). From this deconstructionism the band derive their power; there are no extraneous frills or touches of the baroque decorating their sound, just an attack that leaps straight for the jugular.
Like labelmates Guilt Trip and Malevolence, Desolated play a brand of hardcore that veers towards the hard. Subsequently, they’re unafraid to throw other genres into the mix and ‘Victim 2.0’ features some gnarly metal soloing very much reminiscent of Leeway and Merauder at their most crushing. With only two of the ten songs breaking the three minute mark, Finding Peace doesn’t hang around, but true to the bands modus operandi it derives much of its power from its brevity; it’s the musical equivalent to a street fight, it’s brutal, bloody and over before you can blink (well, almost).
Featuring guest spots from Ninebar (London), Whispers (Bangkok), and D Block (Detroit), Finding Peace evidences a global flavour, and world domination is surely a step away.
- Finding Peace is released via MLVLTD Music on 30th May 2025.
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Track List:
1. The Stomper
2. Lessons
3. Bite Down
4. Glass Ceiling
5. Never Enough
6. Endless Betrayal
7. Let It Slide
8. Victim 2.0
9. Enemy
10. Dead End 2025
