Beyond the Styx (BTS) have been together for over a decade now with the French band having been compared to and toured with fellow hardcore stalwarts Terror and Malevolence and this year has BTS releasing ‘Sentence’, their first album since 2018.
Kicking off with ‘DC’, it sets the tone for what quickly becomes a very focused album of superior hardcore. ‘Sentence’ manages to provide each song with its own identity which gives a huge amount of variation throughout. There are no frills here, just 30 minutes and 10 songs of raw talent full of the chugging guitar riffs which are so synonymous with hardcore. Through tracks such as ‘ESC XIX’, ‘Self Hatred’ and ‘Chain of Life’, ‘Sentence’ manages to tick all the hardcore boxes which through its themes of self-loathing and isolation manages to empower the listener and make them feel good about themselves.
To be honest, ‘Sentence’ can be summed up in well, one sentence and that is that it is a great example of quality hardcore delivered at its most pure and simple.
