Hailing from Rockford, Illinois and Madison, Wisconsin, The Rad Skulls have thrown down a gauntlet of a demo that has some of the catchiest songs I’ve heard this year. The hallmarks of melodic hardcore bands are alive and well on the four tracks presented to us. Let’s dig in.
Opening track “Stories” jumps back and forth between a fast beat and a slower tempo and trading screaming vocals for harmonized vocals when it does. Lead singer Joe’s vocals are a bit more raw in those harder moments, but there’s some reprieve in those softer moments and lyrics that seem to go through a roller coaster of emotions. There’s no real structure to the song which makes these changes unpredictable and exciting especially. Second song, “Loud as Shit,” works well as a short and fast palate cleanser before moderately paced third track, “6:05 GMT.” “6:05 GMT” and “Good Thing (Jingle Jazz)”‘s big group vocals give the song that extra push to make this great. The melodic riffs and vocals the Rad Skulls have brewed are well placed.
I would like to see the Rad Skulls live or hear more songs because with these four songs they just seem to be getting their footing. Their big guitar sound paired with the breakneck speed of the drums is very reminiscent of some of punk’s greatest bands of the 1990s. There’s a lot of ambition found here and these tracks seem to be heading in the right direction. As far as demos go, this is a great sample of a band I hope to hear more from in the future.