Our take: On their debut vinyl, New York’s 80HD move away from the overt Heresy-isms of their demo tape, forging their own sound while keeping the focus on the band’s numerous strengths. Chief among those is drummer Sasha Stroud’s insane chops, and this time around rather than the dramatic shifts between big punches and blistering fast parts, the songs tend to ride steadier grooves, which leaves more space for her explosive fills and accents. Sasha also handles production duties on Destabilize, which has a clearer and brighter sound than the demo tape. This record sounds huge yet organic, just like a great hardcore record should. The clearer production also lets the vocals shine more, and they’re kind of crazy, oscillating between a Sakevi-influenced growl, a hardcore bark, and a shrieking howl… the way the vocal style changes from part to part or even sometimes line to line is wild. I think 80HD is at their best when they are straight tearing your face off with maximum speed and aggression (see “Lookout!”), but even when they ease off the gas and try something a little different (like the synth-infused closing track, “Feel”) they are commanding.
