“For Progress…” serves as a mirror to a failing world. Continued environmental devastation, genocide, fascism, decaying civil liberties, algorithmic surveillance, new and ever-evolving weapons of the War Machine. And for what? Progress? Progress in their hands is a death sentence. Nine songs of hardcore punk in its most primal, stripped down and rawest form; channeling the ferocity and focused chaos of forebearers such as Discharge, Varukers, Disclose, et al; a stark reminder that straightforward, earsplitting cries of frustration and dissent remain vital as ever in this era of despair, as there are more reasons than ever to fight back. Our take: Richmond’s Ultimate Disaster released an excellent demo last year, but they really up the ante with For Progress…, their debut 12” on Grave Mistake Records. While there are plenty of reasons to compare Ultimate Disaster to Disclose—their heavily Discharge-inspired sound, their three-piece setup, and their strangled-sounding vocals—they don’t let that influence box them in, not so much expanding on Disclose’s sound as whittling it down to something even more elemental. It helps that Ultimate Disaster recorded at Minimum Wage Studios—the same spot as Richmond hardcore classics like Wasted Time’s Futility, Government Warning’s No Moderation, and Direct Control’s Farewell—which gives For Progress… a crispness you rarely hear on a raw punk record. Not only does the record sound huge, but also details like the furious guitar strumming really shine through and make the recording come alive. Typically, I like this sound when it’s flying off the rails, but everything feels very considered here… the drums stay locked in to the tempo, and even when something crazy happens like a paint-peeling guitar overdub, the tone of the guitar and the way it’s played feel very dialed in (there’s none of Kawakami’s trademark “nuclear rain”-style chaotic soloing). Ultimate Disaster’s riffing and songwriting is as elegant and uncluttered as a piece of Japanese calligraphy, where each brushstroke is deliberate and functional. For Progress... is also endowed with a hookiness that’s all but unparalleled for this style of music… I know I already mentioned it above, but the way Ultimate Disaster fuses building-leveling power with anthemic choruses is strongly reminiscent of Wasted Time’s Futility. This is a phenomenal hardcore punk record, and another jewel in the Richmond hardcore punk scene’s heavy crown.
