Exploding Head Syndrome is a Norwegian band hardcore (angry) punk band that came into existence in 2010. Two thirty-year-old childhood friends had an idea and a couple of months later a band was created. Their first album was a self-titled EP in 2011 followed by a first full length album called ‘Disciples of Reason’ in 2013, which received good reviews. NRK Pyro, Norway’s leading hard-rock music show, even declared them as “one of the most exciting new Norwegian bands.” The members of the band have also known their fair share of grief after the death of bassist Bjørnar. This however didn’t keep them from writing new material and thus creating the new album ‘World Crashes Down’
As I have said before their music can be described as hardcore (angry) punk. Immediately after the short intro it becomes clear that EHS gets away with this description. The first song, ‘Wasting Away’, although a bit more poppy than the other tracks, gives you a very good idea of what the album is about. A voice expressing a great sense of anger, lyrics that are both to the point and catchy combined with spine shivering guitar riffs bring about a large amount of energy. Together with the in-your-face attitude that comes with them the band has created an album that I can listen and dance to all day long.
Sometimes a hardcore or punk album can be quite monotonous. With ‘World crashes down’ this is not the case and this thanks to the sequence of the songs. It’s like the entire album is a season of a TV show and every song is an episode with its own story. The pilot, being of course the first track, introduces you the different characters, being the vocals, guitars, drums…, and after watching/listening to the season finale, the last track, you can’t wait for the next season to air.
My final conclusion: A band to binge watch. But: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!” (Track 04 The Fine Line Between Hardcore and Hipster)
Michiel