Shreds’ snarling debut Step Back packs fourteen tracks into twenty-four minutes of pure, unfiltered hardcore and doesn’t waste a single second of its running time. And in my not-so-humble opinion, this is hardcore done the right way.

From the opening blast of Not Your Scapegoat, Shreds stake their claim to HC glory. Their sound is razor-sharp backed by a no-nonsense and no frills approach – imagine early Negative Approach cutting loose with pure UKHC venom, but with enough modern bite to keep it from sounding like some dusty relic.

The production is surprisingly crisp for hardcore, striking a near-perfect balance between raw aggression and clarity. You hear every gnarly guitar riff and thunderous drum hit without losing that gritty edge. It’s the kind of mix that makes you want to slam your way around your house

Lyrically, Step Back is wired with frustration. The band doesn’t dress things up, and goes straight for the jugular. Tracks like Micromanager and Toxic Positivity spit venom at everyday suffocation, while K.O. Pills captures the bleak edge of burnout. There’s no polished narrative here, just lived-in anger and the sound of teeth grinding through stress.K.O. Pills is my highlight as it’s a perfect distillation of the band’s approach: bleak, fast, pissed off, and dead-on.

In a sea of hardcore records blurring into one another, Step Back demands repeat listening. It’s lean, mean, and unapologetically grim, and one of my favorite recent releases for a reason. Shreds aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they’re spinning it hard enough to leave burn marks. If you’ve been waiting for a record that feels genuine and relevant, then look no further… Georgios V

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