Hard Men / Yaktooth
Self-Titled
Self-Released
Street: 03.18
Hard Men / Yaktooth = Bird Eater + Fever Dreams + The Dillinger Escape Plan

Whata split! If there were an EP to excite for this year’s Crucial Fest, this is it. Two quite different bands coming together to punch you in the taint with brutal chords and groovy beats makes me weep with joy. Hard Men don’t mosey—they go for the femoral artery with glassy minor chords over calloused Converge cries and pig squeals. If the Shred Shed were still open, you bet your ass I’d be front room for “9000,” a quintessential crossover tome that just leaves you hanging mid … Yaktooth, a well-established SLC group, bring it home with molasses rhythm poured over thumbed-bass foundation. Not as aggressive as Hard Men (for at least 10 minutes), Yaktooth remind you of the jazzy elements of mathcore. Equal parts SubRosa, Eagle Twin and La Verkin, Yaktooth never disappoint, even with their 20-minute jubilee “Imlay.” The question isn’t whether to buy it, but how much hearing you’re willing to lose. –Alex Cragun