Shank
Create/Devour

I remember writing an article for the university newspaper some time ago, where I talked about the hardcore and metal scene in Apulia... Of course, anyone can accuse a reviewer of being biased and praising bands from their own region, but the question I tried to answer in that article was very specific: why are bands from Southern Italy often overlooked? Why is the South underestimated even in the music field? Is it the fault of public and media prejudices, the lack of venues to play in, or the difficulty of getting known? Honestly, I don't know. But one thing I can say: whatever the reason, it is unfounded.

It is certainly no mystery that the Apulian scene is a true talent incubator with bands that know their stuff, that rock hard, that know how to play and compose music at extremely high and sometimes superb levels. Bari and Brindisi have their own strong metal scene, with important bands like Natron, Necrotorture, and Disguise, Taranto tries to make an appearance with hardcore punk, heavy metal, and post-rock, with The Sovran, Thanx, SFC, Hobophobic, NonPerdono, The Beirut, and others, but if we seek that spark, that blind fury, that compositional craving capable of astounding many other bands of the peninsula, it should be sought in Salento. Cast Thy Eyes, Nontoccatemiranda, Sunward, Nitrojuice... The Salento bands considered a pride of Italy are pearls just waiting to be discovered.

And who finds themselves in this sea of sweat and post-hardcore, floating on the surface awaiting discovery? They are four guys from Lecce, and their name is Shank.
It is not easy to accept an album like "Create/Devour," to discover the geographical origin of the band that composed it and not feel a sense of hope mixed with melancholy flowing during the listening. Illegitimate children of Converge, Glassjaw, Botch, Cave In, Breach, Refused and other pillars of post-core from everywhere and every when, the Italian group strikes, destroys, annihilates, moves, and sometimes leaves one incredulous, and personally, I can't help but think that the only thing missing for such a band is a large audience to listen to their records. Had they been born in Boston, perhaps they would now be opening shows for Converge, yet the number of fans is small compared to the quality of the music offered, but as they say: better few but good. And that is because "Create/Devour" is a gem that should not be cast before swine, it is an album to discover through listens, capable of evoking emotions and raising adrenaline, throwing itself and contorting between post-hardcore and metal, melody and punk attitude, screaming a guitar riffing that borders on math.

When "At War With The Self" begins, the impact overwhelms and carries the listener with it, as if it were a crazy wave that cannot stop, pushing them from one riff to the other as in a violent mosh pit, until it crushes them with frenetic drumming and lifts them up with evocative melodies, that slightly smell of tears but that never succumb to emocore as happens with many other similar bands.
Shank plays post-hardcore in the fullest sense of the term. Hardcore attacks and metal influences combine with the reasoned support of melody and pathos, juggling with the technicalities of math rock but never falling into the boring or superfluous. Shank are skilled at creating interesting plots without ever boring, or falling into the banality of the already heard. At times it seems they wanted to blend all their countless influences and take only the best traits, whether they be of technical riffing but never twisted, or evocative melody but never sugary or exaggerated, as Thursday or similar bands might sin. In 9 tracks, they managed to build a personal style, and pardon me if it's not much, but I don't think this is something many bands achieve today.

Here every track has something that stands out and pushes you to press the play button again to better grasp the nuances. "Create/Devour" dances well between punk blasts and razor slashes at the edge of death metal with melody dominating the background, while "A Turn For The Worst" takes up the baton of the most inspired post-core, perhaps only sinning in the clean vocals that could have been more refined. "The Fallen" closes the first part of the album with its mood swings, signing one of the most inspired post-core tracks that could have come from the minds of the four. A brief (and perhaps somewhat redundant, unless on a conceptual level) interlude serves as a bridge to the second part of the album, if possible even more inspired than the first in certain points. "Through Sour Tears" moves with riffs that always keep tension high, between hardcore riffing, metal guitar strumming and overlapping emotive melodies. Here one of the best qualities of the quartet from Lecce becomes clear, namely their ability to never loosen the grip on the listener's ears. There is no temptation to banality, to the repetition of a loop, to the easy breakdown or other trivial stratagems. Their music is nothing but a cascade of riffing that marries notes of pure thrill and chiaroscuro rhythms. Unfortunately, the way they propose their ideas is still a bit raw and needs time to develop, but one thing is certain, the substrate of the compositions is mature, thought-out, inspired. This becomes even clearer with the subsequent songs, like "Frail," heavy and metallic, or the following "Tragedies and pointed fingers" and "Words on sandpaper," seemingly catchy but overflowing with hardcore blood. Shank never bore, never disappoint. When you don't expect that metallic slowdown, that hardcore fury or that moving melody, but you desire it in your subconscious, they provide it; and all with an impressive speed, in such a way that the album flows smoothly and pleasantly, overwhelming with its torrent of ideas. The tempos are always balanced between furious speed, metallic heaviness and emotional pauses, you can never predict which riff will come next, and every track flows with a naturalness seldom enjoyed.
Passion that oozes from every pore, significant technical ability, and a creative inspiration not felt for a long time. These are Shank, and at the end of this more than half-hour of music, I feel simply moved.

The only thing holding me back from giving this album the highest score are those venial sins to be corrected in the future (clean vocals, choruses) and the compositional rawness that needs to be smoothed out to achieve the perfection of the great bands.

For the rest, one must tip their hat. Applause.