Though only around for a few years in the early ’10s, hardcore trio Water Torture are still remembered and beloved by many. Out of their ashes emerged Stimulant, a new band comprising two thirds of the WT lineup—one of whom, Ian Wiedrick, had the honor of playing with the legendary fellow Buffalo locals Snapcase post-reunion—and three thirds of the creativity and aggression. They’ve been quiet but not completely inactive since their last LP in 2020, notably making a live return last year at the Yacøpsæ/Extortion gig here in New York. Now they’re back in full force with Sub-Normal, a new full-length that offers up their best material yet (and they aren’t the only Nerve Altar alums who have reemerged with a vengeance; don’t miss out on Tempo Severo, the first CD from São Paulo shredders D.E.R. in nearly a decade). As usual the program is chomp-sized assaults of straight-shooting grindviolence. “Internment” is a reminder of what we’ve been missing, a tightly wound track that deploys the duo’s winning formula of catchy interlude riffs, muscular blast gallops, and dual vocal attack to crushing effect. Neither Wiedrick nor Thomas Leyh are strangers to noise, having also recorded a tape of unhinged power electronics together as DNR, and as always they meld it well with the music instead of resorting to undercooked interludes; the six-second “Standing Water,” for example, is almost Spacek-esque. And a Stimulant record wouldn’t be complete without a chugging sludge closer, a box that “Hubris” checks with confidence. I know this year already has you beating your head against the wall—might as well do it to this.
Noise Not Music 