No Cure: It Is Going To Get Dark
The South is most commonly associated with hip-hop and country music, but its contributions to heavy music can’t be overlooked. The region has given us some of the most popular and influential acts in the history of metal; Pantera, Mastodon, Eyehategod, Corrosion Of Conformity, and of course the legendary Death (and this time I am talking about the metal band). Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, No Cure continues that tradition with their brand of metalcore, which sounds more refined than ever on It Is Going To Get Dark (out 10 July, 2026 via SharpTone Records).
The record is unrelenting with its razorwire guitars, ear-splitting snares and chest-pounding kicks, and most of all its feral vocal performances from band members and guests alike (including rapper Jayway, Tyler Short of Inclination and Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain among others). The middle section of the record (‘Starved In Sanctuary’, ‘My World In Flames’ and ‘Convulsing In The Dark’) injects a healthy dose of death metal influence, featuring more melodic guitar riffs and even some acoustic instrumentation, before leaning even further into the deathcore realm on ‘Sharpen The Blade’ and ‘Purity Spiral’, some of the heaviest tracks on the album.
It wouldn’t be a straight-edge hardcore record without a song to remind everyone that it is, in fact, a straight-edge hardcore record, and we get exactly that on the aptly titled ‘I Am Still Fucking Straight Edge’. It’s a short, punchy diatribe that stays true to its lineage and offers a brief moment of punkiness on an otherwise largely metallic release. The closing track, ‘Everything I Love Is Dead Or Dying’ brings back the metal full-force and opens with a riff that would make Sweden proud. This song actually reminds me of the tour that featured Lamb Of God, In Flames, Hatebreed and Sylosis – a lineup that I thought was a little strange at the time (even though all those bands are awesome), but which makes a lot more sense nowadays.
Indeed, as the lines between punk (especially hardcore) and metal become increasingly blurred and blended, the bands emerging from both scenes keep getting better and better. Building on the success of their forebears and incorporating an ever-expanding amalgamation of influences, modern bands like No Cure are keeping the core tenet of punk alive; building a diverse but unified community of artists and outcasts that see the beauty and hope in even the darkest of times. And even if it’s no cure, the music of No Cure at least offers some catharsis and some kick-ass riffs to mosh to and take the listener’s mind off “the horrors” for a while.