Sneak are a newer band that I recently discovered from my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona that almost made me jump in the air with one fist extended towards the bright blue heavens. That's probably what I would have done if I didn't think I'd hurt myself doing so. Just know that mentally, I was also doing backflips like a Cirque du Soleil performer. This band hit many of my musical sweet spots. Sneak are made up of members from other bands such as Knife's Edge, Heavy Breather and Here In Spirit. This here is their debut release and it is bound to make some waves in the valley of the sun this year. These guys play a type of music that I can only describe tormented hardcore punk.
Let's dig into this shall we? The first song simply titled "Sneak" serves as the perfect introduction to the house of horrors you're about to enter tip toeing, afraid to wake the sleeping beasts. It wet's the sonic appetite just right though. It's not until the second tune called "See Through My Eyes" when the hatchets really start flying at your face. It opens up with guitarist Tyler Mcintosh and bassist Brian Paulson exploding a monster guitar riff down your earhole. Soon after that singer Chris Parson begins the guttural growls out of the shadows which signals drummer Tony Rivera to come barreling down like an avalanche. The song then grabs you by the shoulders and carries you off to hardcore punk purgatory. The A-Side of the tape then closes with a little number called "Opposite Opposition" where the rhythm section takes the lead and audibly pile drives your head straight though mountain sides. Clocking in at just one minute and forty-six seconds, this is the shortest track on this release but also the most bludgeoning. Side Two brings us to the tunes "Pick It Apart" and "Insane" which are probably the most melodic songs of the bunch. That being said, they still have an air of desperation and smouldering destruction to them. The closing number brings us back to a dark, riff heavy place, right where we started from.
Sneak plays a seriously tense version of hardcore punk wrapped in a gloriously grim demeanor. But what I feel sets Sneak apart is that they're not afraid to go long. There are some songs that go three to four minutes, but sound as if they didn't, you'd be missing out on something. Similar to Fucked Up or Ceremony, Sneak takes the songs where they need to go and don't cut it short in the name of Dee Dee Ramone. For me, probably the coolest thing about this band is that no matter where these six songs on this cassette do take you, they remain firmly in the shadow realm.
If you're in the Phoenix area, don't miss the band's record release show! All the pertinent information is below!
