Idiopathic: RHOADS

Add a splash of guitar, the essence of Circle Jerks, and a whole lot of angst, bring it to a roaring boil, and voila, there you have it: scalding punk anger—or in other words, RHOADS’s first official release, Idiopathic. The EP wastes no time assaulting the senses, immediately thrusting you into a rancorous barrage of drums and visceral vocals in “Illusion of Meaning.” The wrath is palpable, as each note punches you right in the kisser with a sting that is sickly satisfying. “Victimize Me!” brings an acidic twang to the record with the slew of venomous lyrics it spits, giving you something tough to chew on. A tad different from the Taylor Swift song of the same name, “Blank Space” delivers a taste of Black Flag-esque doom-punk, easily making it my top track on the album. Essentially distilled rage, Idiopathic by RHOADS is a let-loose, go-wild, heart-pounding EP for lovers of hardcore, and I cannot recommend it enough.

-Abigail Heron

4/5