It’ll make people want to punch stuff
Birds of a feather definitely do tend to flock together—it’s a phrase for a reason. And even though it can apply to almost anything, it’s often best expressed when it comes to the formation of bands and groups. In this case, it’s the considerable Los Angeles supergroup Entry and their merciless debut Detriment.
With insight and influence getting pulled in from other bands like Touché Amoré (thanks to guitarist Clayton Stevens), Entry’s debut Detriment is a robust, albeit quite a short foray into timeless hardcore punk. At not even 15 minutes long, Detriment is reminiscent of every basement and backyard punk show that’s worked the keep the genre alive for so long. At times, it leans heavily on D-beat and classic hardcore while at others, it dives into the shallow end of black metal. Entry isn’t reinventing the wheel here, nor do they need to.
Detriment’s intro establishes this from the first note. In a characteristic fashion, it steadily brews rumbling bass lines, pounding drums and hefty, reverbed riffs that flow into the circle-pit worthy “Your Best Interest.” At under two minutes, it enlivens every desire for moshing and two-stepping, with vocalist Sara G’s gutturals sticking in people’s brain. The following track “Vulnerable” has similar effects, doused in a thrashiness that musically makes someone want to fight, but mentally makes someone want to think.
Though fairly difficult to understand—it wouldn’t be hardcore punk without the crude vocal stylings. There are parts of Detriment where Sara G appears to go off on the current political climate, seemingly taking stabs at Trump on “Selective Empathy,” “Not Your Decision” and “Your Best Interest.” The titles alone imply a fierce commentary on society’s independence and are perfectly fitting for what the country has going on. Sara G’s screams give a heightened sense of urgency on all of the tracks, combined with some anxiously heavy drumming from Chris Dwyer. Some of this goes out the window on the album’s longest song and closing track “Demons.”
While other tracks on the album pack a strong, loutish punch into mere seconds, “Demons” takes its time. It carries a consistent, downtempo vigor throughout—the only slight variations coming within the last minute, before its cooling off of an outro. Sara G is at her deepest and bassist Sean Sakamoto’s playing gets considerably lost in the rest of the sound. Outside of this, Detriment stands strong as a debut release that allows all of its members to shine. It’s the type of album old school punks and metalheads can jointly appreciate—plus, it’s the right momentum to get people off the couch.
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