Review: Total Abuse – Excluded

Total Abuse
Excluded

Deranged Records
Street: 11.20.15
Total Abuse = Black Flag + Ceremony + Void

Sincerity without conviction is weak. Conviction without sincerity is dishonest. Put the two together, and you have a quality hardcore record. That, and a killer drummer, will get you far. Total Abuse are all of these things. A lack of a lyric sheet made piecing lyrics together challenging, but you don’t have to be a philosopher to pick up the vitriol. Guitars lay down a chaotic, noisy mess that’s kept in check by bullet-precise drumming, making Excluded stick. At first, the repetitive final four minutes of “Watching the Paint Dry” actually felt like doing so, but giving in to the repetition brought an epiphany—this is quality, confrontational outsider music. Once you realize that, you’re along for the ride, and it burrows deep. This may not be remembered as a seminal work in hardcore, but it’s an example of the range of what hardcore can be if done well. –Peter Fryer