Paint It Black

New Lexicon

[4/5]

As a genre, hardcore is known for a lot of things (stage dives, sing-alongs, motivational lyrics), but experimentation generally isn’t one of them. For this reason, some people were understandably skeptical when Paint It Black announced they were working on their latest disc with Oktopus from the hip-hop duo Dälek in addition to punk über-producer J. Robbins. Thankfully, not only is there no rapping from anyone named DJ Danny Yeems on New Lexicon, it’s also Paint It Black’s most furious effort yet. While there are a few samples and ambient (often industrial-tinged) interludes between tracks, Oktopus’ stamp isn’t too overbearing. Instead, songs like “Four Deadly Venoms” show vocalist Dan Yemin channeling his aggression into carefully constructed blasts of proto- and post-hardcore, recalling everyone from usual suspects like Circle Jerks and Minor Threat to Helmet (check out “The Beekeeper”). That said, despite the album’s inherent vitriol, blazing songs like “Missionary Position” and “Dead Precedents” retain the melodic sensibility of Yemin’s old band Kid Dynamite, making New Lexicon something far rarer than another hip-hop/rock collaboration: A truly transcendent hardcore release. (JADE TREE) Jonah Bayer



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