Heavy but tuneful
A pleasing hardcore noise from North Wales four piece Bastions, 'Island Living' the opening track on the EP of the same name has hooky, memorable riffs and super-low bass, it's melodic but like the other two tracks doesn't compromise by breaking into a sing-along chorus. One of the great things about the EP is the vocals; not an unintelligible mush like many hardcore screams, here you can understand the lyrics and they are tuneful rather than just screaming you into submission. 'Soar' has another cracking tune, there is a definite groove to all these tracks which at the very least should get you nodding your head along with them. 'The Great Unwashed' starts off positively sludgy with lovely deep guitars, the vocals sound like they're coming at you from a distance, it's a great track with a surprising intense emotional core, it washes over you in the same way an Isis or *shels track might and leaves you with goose bumps.