Mental Warfare is a project of guitarist Chris Cesarini, whom I first noticed through his involvement in bands like Conservative Military Image, Haywire, and Street Power. I also found out that he has been active in other Boston hardcore bands, namely Back Of Tha Neck and Years Apart, though I’m not familiar with those.

Mental Warfare delivers eight tracks of uncompromising, fast hardcore with shouted vocals and barked gang shouts. It’s raw, driving, fun, and aggressive. Almost all of the songs clock in under two minutes, with the exception of the closing track Snake. A huge amount of hardcore records are released these days, and what I enjoy about this style is that it often comes from smaller bands who can really put on a show and transmit their energy directly to the audience. Live performances are therefore crucial, and describing or comparing individual releases can sometimes blur together. So I’ll take this purely from my own perspective. Last year, the hardcore records that stood out to me the most were Mental Warfare, End It, and Eliminators, with Mental Warfare being, by far, the most aggressive and also the most straightforward of the three.

Toxic Ignorance kicks off with pure aggression and quickly shifts into a perfect gang-vocal chorus—one of my favorite tracks on the record. It’s followed by three total ragers: Hold A Grudge, Same Old Game, and Constant Engagement. Hold A Grudge starts with a grinding guitar riff, moves on to alternating screamed and rough vocals, and finishes with a drum onslaught. Same Old Game is built around contrasting sections, where raw guitar and vocals switch places with a more melodic line. Constant Engagement once again makes use of gang vocals, further reinforcing the song’s overall impact.

The B-side brings another four tracks, three of them short, sharp bursts: Cut You Out, Everything Is Wrong, and MP (Outbreak). The one that hits me the hardest here is the intense Everything Is Wrong. The record closes with the longest track, the 2:26-long Snake, built on shifting tempos and structures that I really enjoy in bands like Have Heart. All the elements I love about hardcore are present here, and the result is insanely fun. Lyrically, this is a total blast of negativity and pure vented anger—and it’s damn well executed.

The vinyl packaging also deserves praise: the sleeve features a cut-out Mental Warfare logo, revealing a beautifully illustrated inner sleeve by YYYYs. There’s also a keychain included, but I’m not really into that kind of gimmick—I care about the music first and foremost. The release is limited to 100 copies on black vinyl and 250 copies on colored splatter vinyl. A killer hardcore record, and one I’d really love to see performed live.

TOP TRACKY: Toxic Ignorace, Same Old Game, Everything Is Wrong