The raw and delightfully unpolished outfit appropriately named The End A.D., which hails from the lovely city that is Philadelphia, is an interesting musical encounter. For one thing, they shamelessly mix thick and filthy punk rock, huge thrash-influenced riffs, and the loud and nasty vibe of hardcore to great effect. It all sounds pretty fucking massive and crunchy, and “Badlands” is definitely hard-hitting and in-your-face. Another cool thing about the record is that its ten punchy tracks are sharp and concise affairs, but they are sufficiently varied to keep the listener engaged and focused on what is going on throughout. In other words, the the song material is easily accessible and yet it is not without its fair share of wicked twists and turns.

This rotten opus is unarguably an aggressive and catchy slab of somewhat groovy and strangely invigorating metal…well, punk- and hardcore-infused heavy metal to be more precise, but you get the point! The female vocals add grit and intensity to the proceedings and the musicianship is solid overall, but not every tune slays and the first half of the album is slightly better and a tiny bit more atmospheric than the last half. For a teaser, check either the pounding “Enemy Action” or the instantly memorable and dark “Junkie Logic” out.

https://theendad.bandcamp.com/album/badlands