Our take: Virginia’s Not for the Weak Records brings us the vinyl debut from Arizonan d-beat powerhouse Yellowcake. Yellowcake features Mike from Extended Hell and Urchin on drums, and, frankly, if Mike is playing drums in your d-beat band, your d-beat band is really fucking good. Certainly the drumming is a highlight here, as Mike retains his ability to hold a rock-solid groove and kick the ever-loving hell out of that bass drum while keeping the fills fresh and just a little spicy. The rest of the band is killer too. Yellowcake’s guitarist does that thing where there’s one guitar track with a beefy sound and another that’s fried with noise, and that works really well. On the riffier, Totalitär-influenced parts, your ear gravitates towards the cleaner sound, while the Cimex / Framtid parts hit with the impact you want them to. The ensemble playing is great too… check out that perfect little hiccup pause before the breakdown in “Weaponized Mania…” a chill-inducing moment. The singer’s delay-drenched howl sounds desperate, as befitting the lyrics focusing on the horrors of war. Competition is stiff in this micro-genre of Swedish-influenced d-beat and there isn’t room for anything under-developed or half-assed. Even within a crowded field, though, Yellowcake is at the front of the pack.
