Album Details

• Artist: Heartless
• Album: Hell Is Other People
• Label: Southern Lord
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2011-10-28

A new name on the hardcore circuit, Pittsburgh's Heartless look to quickly and forcefully establish a name for themselves in wider markets with their debut, Hell Is Other People. Their sound is a blatant example of truth in advertising; completely void of compassion and anything resembling niceties. Punishing, much in the vein of classic hardcore metal and about as abrupt as a sucker punch to the face.

There's not much point in doing any track-by-track analysis; this is the type of record meant to be a continuous, uninterrupted assault. You'll find many qualities of the genre that have long been in use, from somewhat annoying and just a tad over-used guitar squeals to abrasive, in-your-face mid-registered shouts, to riffs that do a fantastic job of relating the aggressive spirit of the rhythm section, acting in unison in a chorus of chaos. In a sense, nothing stands out more than the final moments of outro "Hard Feelings", when you can catch your breath long enough to release that the entire album has just passed and passed in satisfying fashion. Short, simple, and definitely not sweet, Hell Is Other People is all about the overall experience and cannot, should not, be taken apart and listened to in bits and pieces.

In my experience, the typical hardcore metal band is best suited for the stage, where the overwhelming atmosphere of aggression can be feeded upon by the audience and in turn utilized by the band to perhaps step outside of the box of their studio recordings and extend or variate their approach. Heartless must be world's better in a live setting because, even though Hell Is Other People parlays the sense of battering brutality the band wants to express, nothing is better than doing so right in the faces of those receptive to it. Simply judging from what I've heard here, if you find yourself able to check them out in person, I would definitely suggest it. 

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