Review by Carl on October 20, 2024.

I don't remember in what magazine it was I read it, but I was completely stoked about this crossover thrash band that had members of Agent Steel, Bodycount, and Détente among its ranks. I had of course never heard any shred of their music, but I just knew I had to have that. Shortly after, I found out they had a full-length coming through Dave Rotten's Xtreem label, so that was convenient. When it arrived, I could not wait to shove it into my player to finally hear what this group of illustrious gentlemen had to offer, and well ...

... at first, I was disappointed somewhat. This album turned out to be coarser than I initially expected, hanging more towards a thrash-y hardcore style somewhere between the old releases by bands like Verbal Abuse, Septic Death, D.R.I., and Agnostic Front. Where I had hoped for a crossover hybrid between thrash metal riffing and hardcore power, I got something simpler, less technical, and way grittier than I expected, so yeah, it was a bit of a let-down. But I kept returning to it, and the more I heard it, a certain appreciation did start to grow.

If we strictly talk music, Obscene Gesture play a highly energetic form of old-school hardcore with a thick metallic edge to it, making them related to those acts mentioned above. The songs are short, aggressive, mostly fast, and simple yet effective in their execution. Intricate riffing or complicated composition isn't really of much concern to these guys, despite what their impressive resumés might have us believe, and that is both the strength and weakness of this band. While the majority of the music speeds on at straight ahead velocity and with bulging amounts of blunt anger, kicking some serious ass throughout, it also gives me the idea as if I'm listening to the same few songs over and over again, a feeling not helped by the forced vocal delivery of the late Guy Green. His cranky hoarse bellow is a good addition to the fast thrash-y old-school hardcore on offer, adding a Sheer Terror touch to proceedings, but overall his voice sounds a bit same-y throughout. Unfortunately, this results in the album coming off a bit one-dimensional sounding in its entirety, despite the high level of energy and menace at play.

Despite my critique, I do want to stress that this is not a bad album. The music speeds on through in the best 80's USHC fashion, and the execution is simple yet precise, being effective and well on point. In the form of some ripping leads and slower Black Sabbath-y sections we get some metallic variations injected, adding some necessary hooks to the attack on offer, which helps break the monotony that somewhat looms over this release. What I especially appreciate is the gritty streetwise attitude this band emanates, making it feel that the anger here is real, adding a truly genuine edge to the thrashcore presented.

"Living in Profanity" is an album primarily of interest to those into metallic hardcore bands from the 80s, even if this album might sound a bit too glossy sound-wise. Still, if your thing is acts like Loss for Words, Crucifix (SF), Hirax, early Crumbsuckers, and the bands mentioned earlier, give this one a try perhaps. It's not the best one in the genre, but the pros outweigh the cons well enough to make Obscene Gesture's debut a sufficiently enjoyable one for any punter into the style.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10