BAT SKULL/NEW DAMAGE
Toronto hardcore punk heroes consolidate and rejuvenate
SINCE ARRIVING ON the scene in the mid-00s, Cancer Bats have never really put a foot wrong. Even their divisive 2015 album, Searching For Zero, has its fans. And even then, they followed it up with the unifying The Spark That Moves in 2018. Yes, everyone loves Cancer Bats. But longtime fans may feel a slight sense of unease when approaching Psychic Jailbreak, as guitarist Scott Middleton, the man who gave them such an unmistakable tone thus far in their entire career, has departed the ranks of the band, and Cancer Bats are now a trio.
If that sounds worrying on paper, don’t fret; roughly eight seconds into the opening track, you will probably find enough to put any fears to rest. It’s a classic-sounding CancerFeaturing a riff that sounds like Thin Lizzy getting doused in whiskey before being booted down the stairs at CBGB, it’s a song that could well slip in alongside
