Demo (Independent)

Pills are often prescribed to take away the pain, sometimes to balance out overwhelming anxiety. It could be argued quite convincingly that Vancouver hardcore crew Black Pills’ just-released demo is a cathartic, if chaotic, release for its members. The surged-up sounds of the four-song debut, however, will keep most listeners on edge.

Formed earlier this year, the quartet features Damages and Taxa member Hieg Khatcherian. Mostly pushing past those projects’ post-hardcore grooves, Black Pills delivers manic, fritzed-out explosions of guitar noise and bomb-fire beats. Despite this, the feral screams on “Suffering Through” come across as caged-in, detailing a “chest-crushing anxiety” and being trapped by your own psyche.

The awesomely atonal pound of “Maximum Tolerated Dose” attempts to liberate, playing out as an anti-vivisection anthem full of spiralling six-string noise and cries to end the suffering of animals in captivity. True, there’s a darkness to Demo, but the in-the-red approach is pure therapy.