Album Review: Bottomfeeder - 'Bottomfeeder EP'

Bottomfeeder are the new side project of Gaslight Anthem drummer Benny Horowitz, which also features members from groups such as Gates, Jaguar Shark and Let Me Run. The band, based out of New Jersey and being released through fellow Gaslight member Alex Rosamilia's new label Human Blood, is as far away from Horowitz’s main project as you can get, which is kinda the point of side projects now isn’t it?

The four tracks found on the ‘Bottomfeeder EP’ are raucous, energetic hardcore jams that take their cues from the earlier days of the hardcore punk genre. The music is paced with a frantic urgency which is tipped over the edge by vocalist Derek Reilly’s weighty screams. Not only weighty in a sense of tone, but also in message.

Opening track You Son Of A Bitch, is an enraged tale about the negative side of drug abuse, set to faced paced drums and melodic guitar lines. Second track My Dude Cried Wolf is far more abrasive, the tones more sinister and the DIY punk feel that the band strive for is more evident.

The pace slows slightly as things become more emotional in A Long Winters Rest, one of the highlights of the EP thanks to it's thundering walls of guitars, screams and drums which drop and lift in one of the more dynamically amazing moments of the record. The EP closes with End Times And New Beginnings, a sad, bass driven song which once again shows the band's penchant for melody. The closing gang vocals shouts of “save yourself” are the perfect summary of this little underground punk EP that has epic tendencies.

It is clear from hearing these four tracks that Bottomfeeder are one of those rare little hardcore punk bands that have been created to deliver a powerful message but above all keep things simple and fun. If they manage to stick to this structure, we can look forward to some more great releases in the future.

1. You Son Of A Bitch

2. My Dude Cried Wolf

3. A Long Winters Rest

4. End Times And New Beginnings