Album Reviews

From Bruges comes Old Ivy, a hardcore band that taps from the same vein as La Dispute, Pianos Become The Teeth and Defeater. “The Greater Mind” comes with four tracks of emotive hardcore that are as raw as they are honest. While the drummer and bassist lay down a solid foundation, the two guitars feed off of them and bang out riffs that are punishing one moment and atmospheric the next. It’s the perfect feeding ground for vocalist Arnaud Stroef who gives it his all with his gruff barks.

Even though “The Greater Mind” comes with just four songs, it manages to feel complete. These guys know how to pace themselves and whether they’re going full throttle on “Earthling” or building things up slowly in opener “Flawless”, things sound pretty damn good. You won’t find anything on here that you haven’t heard before but Old Ivy can definitely pull their own weight in the scene.