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Reality Denied: Canadian Hardcore Band Brings Mosh & ‘90s Rap Aesthetics on New EP

Photo: Scum Collective

Niagara, Ontario bruisers Reality Denied just dropped a fantastic new release full of creative guitar work and hard-hitting lyrics.

The EP, …Comes With a Price, draws from a wide swath of aesthetic and musical influences, including classic rock and '90s hip-hop. 

The album artwork is in the classic Pen & Pixel style popularized by '90s rap acts like the Hot Boys and Three 6 Mafia. “I’m glad we did what we did with the art,” says vocalist Conner Gibbs. “It was definitely a risk but in my mind it was the only thing that felt right. This style of hardcore is so inspired by hip-hop aesthetically and lyrically that it only made sense to channel that for the art.”  

Reality Denied added a second guitarist for this release in an attempt to infuse their heavy hardcore influences with a new sense of melody. Guitarists Andy Dmytryshyn and Dylan Frantsis crafted fairly intricate riffs for this style of music, while making sure the mosh parts packed that necessary punch. 

“We’re inspired by bands like Death Threat and Biohazard but fuck it, we’re inspired by Van Halen too," Gibbs says. 

Photo: Scum Collective

He also made it a point to come from a genuine place on this record when writing the lyrics. “I think hardcore is in a cool spot right now but there’s a lot of bands trying to act the hardest.

"There’s a lot of people who act like it’s trendy to grow up in a difficult situation and see fucked up stuff, like losing a loved on to addiction for example. That stuff isn’t funny to me. The coolest thing you can be is yourself."

…Comes With a Price is streaming everywhere. There are no physical copies yet, but the band hopes to have tapes and CDs for sale in the future. They will be playing a record release show on June 16th at the Casbah in Hamilton, Ontario. 

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