And the award for the grooviest, angriest hardcore record of 2018 goes to…

Good to Feel sounds every bit as fiery as the graphic album cover. The guitars, while chunky and full with plenty of low end, have a sharp flaming edge to them that blasts right through the mix, only matched by the furious vocals. Though Candy largely abandons the beatdown-indebted sound of previous releases, Good to Feel still slams unfathomably hard, with each track offering fast-paced punk pounds, invigorating mid-tempo chugs, and deliberately slow breakdowns that drip with sludge. The latter element is probably the record’s standout feature: the breakdowns are fucking amazing. Unlike many more metalcore-informed bands, when Candy slows down the anger doesn’t; even during the most sluggish sections a palpable, electric fury remains. Because of this, the longer tracks like “Distorted Dreams” hit just as hard as the brief blasters such as “Burning Water.” Good to Feel is only 17 minutes, so it doesn’t have time for mercy. Whether you’re banging your head furiously to thrashing hardcore or more slowly while that distinctive “oh man this is heavy” expression spreads across your face (I challenge you to listen to “Human Target” without doing so), Good to Feel drives a hot metal spike straight into the amygdala.