Bestial Condemnation [Custom Marble LP]

Brutal metallic hardcore juggernauts WALKING WOUNDED emerge from Cleveland’s notoriously gritty and aggressive underground music scene with a fresh take on the Rust Belt city’s storied heritage. Guitarist Steve Perrino began writing and recording WALKING WOUNDED songs alone in his studio before recruiting vocalist Noah Hardesty. In the spring of 2022, the pair released their debut single, “Birth,” a blistering slice of emotional powerviolence. That formative song showcases Perrino’s songwriting skill and Hardesty’s uncompromising voice but only hints at WALKING WOUNDED's determined excursion into darker and more deathly sounds. The result was Bestial Condemnation, now available via Relapse Records, expanded with bonus material. The scathing record kicks off with the one-two punch of “Battle Worn” and “Unholy Bargain” - a relentless discourse between melodic thrashing speed and driving, chugging catharsis. Elsewhere, “Depravity” executes a high-speed hardcore bombing raid in just over one blistering minute, while “Anguished Solitude” slows things to a determined crawl that would make Obituary proud. The record shines with “Food for the Crows,” possibly the quintessential WALKING WOUNDED song. Bestial Condemnation is based on a story written by Hardesty. “It’s a fantasy story about a man consumed by his greed,” Perrino says. “Over time, he’s cursed to walk the earth as a beast.” But WALKING WOUNDED aren’t pure fantasists; the band funnels sociopolitical indignation into the aptly named “Righteous Brutality” single in 2023. “Righteous Brutality was the first song we wrote together collaboratively,” Perrino says. “That’s an angry song toward homophobic people. We've always been vocal about that, and that's the value we stand on. In terms of a worldview, rights issues are things that we care about.” While WALKING WOUNDED continues to write new material and expand its sound, the rebirth of Bestial Condemnation serves as a reminder that Cleveland’s music scene remains as vital and aggressive as ever, and WALKING WOUNDED is ready to lead the charge into new territory.