Album Review: The Weight - 'Prisoners Of The Flock'

The DIY work ethic and hardcore genre have always gone hand in hand and for Adelaide five-piece, The Weight, the pairing is what they are all about. Building their audience by playing many all-ages shows in independent venues, which would eventually lead to bigger supports with overseas touring acts, the group are now following up their initial demo release with the full length, ‘Prisoners Of The Flock.’

While the sounds and tones used on this record pretty much fit the standard hardcore mould, the song structures and album layout does not, and that is what makes the record an exciting listen. For example, the placing of a slow but heavy instrumental called 'Intro' as the third track, which also features ripping guitar solos, set in the background, as if not given too much importance.

There is the feeling that The Weight have a very unique approach, which will hopefully be explored more in the future. The album flow is impeccable, it is like the Voltron of hardcore, strong tracks that stand alone, but most effective when all pieced together. While at times the guitars can seem a little like overkill due to the lack in tone variety, they are the main driver of the songs, often bringing more aggression and melody than the vocals, which seem like more of an afterthought.

For the most part however, dynamics are the key, sometimes subtle like the lo-fi breaks in early tracks like 'Fundamentalist', or obvious, like the softer instrumental break of 'Talking In Technicolour', which paves the way for the explosion of the title track.

The music is harsh and determined, but not without careful planning, and that is possibly what sets this record apart from other hardcore releases, The Weight have structured this album in a way that every single moment serves a purpose for the greater record as a whole.

‘Prisoners Of The Flock’ features some solid hardcore, there is no question about it, but the real excitement comes in the writing, the song structures, and the unknown of there the music will go next. The band have managed to balance the sound of classic hardcore with a progressive approach which is exactly what this genre needs.

1. Born From The Spear

2. Fundamentalist

3. Intro

4. Impervious To Influence

5. Repeat Offender

6. Colour-Blind Realist

7. A Mortal Thought

8. Blunt Force Head Trauma

9. Talking In Technicolour

10. Prisoners Of The Flock

11. Predicatory Process

12. Hunter/Gatherer