Making their debut on No Echo today is Two Faced, an Australian hardcore band based out of Western Sydney. "We played heaps, built a bit of a following and put out our EP, Still Searching, on Innercity Uprising, in 2015," guitarist Shane Fensom told us via email when we asked about the group's earlier days.
"Everlasting Pain, our debut album, is actually three to four years in the making, due mainly to the pandemic and some lineup changes. 2021 saw Dylan coming in on drums and the reintroduction of one our original guitarists, Tatts.
The aforementioned Everlasting Pain album finds Two Faced delivering the kind of hardcore that has metallic leanings in sections, and balls-out speed-driven parts in others. Shane gave some insight on the band's shared influences. "We’ve come from different backgrounds, but at the end of the day our tastes are pretty similar. We end up liking a lot of the same music but pulling different things out of it.
"I think there’s a pretty wide variety of influences on the album. 'Choice' and 'Force Fed' draw from that fast paced Raised Fist and OG Terror style of aggression. 'Pulling Teeth' has a really cool punky opening reminiscent of those old school Fat Wreck Chords bands. 'Never Change' and 'Everlasting Pain' have what I’d say is a very typical Aussie hardcore sound, heavily influenced by Toe to Toe, Against and Her Nightmare with the driving drums and unrelenting guitarwork. There’s even a track with a completely unexpected mellow sound in the middle."
Shane also talked about the lyrical direction on the new album. "There’s a lot of self reflection on the album, concerning mental health, loss/grief and a motivational anthem in 'Start Today.' 'Force Fed' is a favorite of mine that deals with the role that mainstream media plays in forcing political agenda down our throats. I think that segways a bit into PC101, about people being stuck in their own head and being unwilling to view things from a different perspective.
"Some of the lyrics are very blunt and in your face like 'Slip,' relating to those people that feed you lies to get what they want, while others can be a little more free for interpretation."
How is the hardcore scene doing in Australia in Shane's view? "Since COVID has started to wane off, the scene has definitely been making a bit of noise with new bands putting out some ripper releases as of late. Cherish just put out an absolute ripper of an EP entitled Your Suffering, Fever Shack put out an awesome new track last month, and I know Dylan is really enjoying Starve hailing from Melbourne."
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Everlasting Pain is available now on CD and digital. Hit this link to get all of Two Faced's social media pages.
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