Chicago’s MOCK EXECUTION return with 9 tracks of unadulterated sonic aggression. Their debut LP Killed By Mock Execution takes cues from the dirtier sides of both Finnish and Japanese hardcore while keeping their engineer boots firmly set on the traditional UK crust sound of yesteryear. Executing a magnificent hybrid of DOOM and GLOOM, GAI, KAAOS, and the entire early 2000’s Crust War catalogue, MOCK EXECUTION tear through flanger solos, huge crash cymbals, burly driven bass and NO SECURITY split era intros and that's only part way to the band's sound. Our take: Back in 2019, Chicago’s Mock Execution whetted our appetites with their Reality Attack 7”, and three years later they deliver the full meal. One thing I love about Mock Execution is that while a lot of contemporary bands base their style and sound on one micro-scene or even just one band, Mock Execution draws from a wide range of international punk influences. Faster songs like “Apocalypse Now” and “Stagnant Fools” sound like crasher crust, raw and primal gestalt in the vein of Gloom, Framtid, and early Anti-Cimex. However, Mock Execution is also excellent with a mid-paced song, whether it’s a Kaaos-style fist-pumper like “Insanity” or the more chugging, Totalitär-esque “Calm in the Chaos.” Things can also get pretty metal, as on the epic intro for “Enough Is Enough,” but whatever the tempo and style, everything is wrapped in the raw and urgent production and playing style I associate with the 80s scenes in South America and Italy. While my description probably makes Mock Execution sound scattered, it all adds up to a distinctive voice that sounds like no one else. Inventive songwriting, great musicianship, primal performances, sick artwork… I’m sold.
