Bitter – Review

Bitter

(Lost & Found)
by Paul Lee

Boston’s newest hardcore maniacs, Bitter, deliver the goods. Their intensity and ferocity are unmistakable. Bitter are content enough to add their chapter to the annals of old-style hardcore fury without trying to rewrite the book. Without a distributor in the U.S., Bitter put out their first album on Germany’s Lost and Found label.

When I first ran into Keith Bennett, vocal pyrotechnician (former bassist of the now defunct Wrecking Crew) and Bitter mastermind, he handed me the eponymous CD and said “It’s nothing new but…”. Hell, I thought to myself, if I want to hear good new hardcore I don’t have to go looking for the second coming of the mosh pit messiah! Upon first spin of Bitter in my portable CD player while shopping at the supermarket, I felt the urge to slam shoppers into walls of cereal boxes and dive off the seafood counter into a crowd of onlookers. Luckily, my self-restraint was in check at the time and I merely let my fantasy go as Bitter’s music flowed through my cortex. This is some powerful stuff; hardcore crunch of the first order. Take a gander at such brutal beauties as “Gutted” and “Anti.” Fast tempo, many minor chord progressions and NO SOLOS! There’s no melodicism here, it’s all pure auditory hate. If you want cathartic assistance, then look no further because Bitter specialize in it. Stripped down, primal aggression is what they bring in the truest of hardcore veins. Ouch! The only slight bit of peace you’ll get here is with “Hectic Wisdom,” a real brooder that builds into a roar. Also, lookout for the cover of the Straw Dogs’ “Young Fast Iranians,” an old school tune done in a new school way.

If you like your music uncompromising, then Bitter is for you. Bitter’s rage is from the heart and intestines. Soon to be creating a pit near you, make sure you jump in and see them. With no hype or slick label reps to push them, these boys are letting their notoriety travel the old-fashioned way: through the words of their admirers. Take it from this one, Bitter are more than worth your time and investment.