DISTORTED INFLUENCE - Cold
August 29, 2023, a year ago
(Supreme Echo)
Victoria, BC's Distorted Influence are almost certainly a band you have not heard of, but that just might be about to change. This previously unreleased album from 1992 has now seen the light of day on this high-quality vinyl issue from Victoria's Supreme Echo Records, who are on a streak of metal success lately (don't miss out on the great Deranged record).
Distorted Influence walk the line between thrash and crossover in a fun and energetic way: Awesome opener “Living Hell” has memorable riffs and manic bass work, while “Rituals Of Abuse” showcases the band's not insignificant The Accused influence, with a breakneck groove and prominent bass leading the way. The excellent, album-highlight title track goes hard and mean, Combat Records style (or, Combat Core, perhaps more suitably), all big city hardcore steel butting up against labyrinth thrash through the lens of prime-era crossover, with outstanding drumming to boot (see also: “Recurrence” for more excellent work behind the kit).
There's no melody in sight, and it's a fantastically written and performed piece of cold, hard metal. There's a good amount of variety in the sounds too: “Gotta Be”, for example, has a wonderfully powerful sludge breakdown, near-NYHC vocals, and a Slayer-on-hardcore guitar solo.
With a comprehensive booklet and two stickers, and the band back at it today, this is a great starting point to an unlikely second life for Distorted Influence, who may just be Canada's kings of crossover this time around.
