Lies! – Mind Pollution (review)

December 13, 2023

Releasedate: 09-12-2023

With an album release show last weekend, Dutch metallic hardcore band Lies! released their latest album Mind Pollution. While the full album plays the same amount of time as the 3-track EP Velozza released last month (around 14 minutes), the album consists of 9 full tracks. Hardcore-sized, full tracks, that is. The longest track on the album is the title track ‘Mind Pollution’, clocking in at 2 minutes. Get ready for 14 minutes of raw brutality with this new album by Lies!

Lies!

Lies! is a metallic hardcore band from Groningen. The band started out in 2011, mixing the aggressive parts of punk, thrash and metallic hardcore. That blend of metal and their energy on stage got them gigs with Hatebreed and Sick of It All. After a break, the band had a “Rebirth” with their comeback EP and now the band is back with a new release, “Mind Pollution”.

Mind Pollution

The album starts with the title track Mind Pollution in total silence. After the initial confusion (is my volume on?) we get startled by a growl and the album kicks off in full gear. With the vocals in multiple layers, and the overall mix tight and compact, the sound is heavy, and aggressive, as we would expect with this band. While most tracks are straight-up hardcore as we might expect, there are some welcome surprises in this 14-minute hardcore train.

Setsunai is one of them. The melodic intermezzo makes this band stand out in the hardcore scene and not only gives us some room to breathe, it also shows the musical influences this band gets their inspiration from. Hunting Season II is another one. I really like the groovy headbangable riffs on this track. No Blood Left to Bleed is another musical intermezzo and a prelude to The Cleansing A.D.. Both feature some samples that add another layer to the tracks.

Final Thoughts

With just 14 minutes of music, it’s hard to pick a favorite since you can listen to the whole album easily in one go. My favorite track on this album is probably Words of Wisdom II. The scream-along part in Words of Wisdom: “I’ll hang with people who want more for me, not from me” is easy to follow and are words we can all get behind.

Mind Pollution is a nice 14-minute intermezzo in your day, and the necessary medicine if you’re having a shitty day and need to blow off some steam. Just turn up the volume and be mad at the world for a minute, reminding yourself to make choices for yourself.