Artwork by FTG Illustrations
Ferocity at its finest is unleashed by Lansdale, PA’s stoner hardcore punkers L.M.I. (short for Lazy Middle-Class Intellectuals). This seven year old Philadelphia area act has been pushing out albums on Reading, PA DIY punk label No Less Records for years before debuting on Lansdale’s own heavy independent record label, Dullest Records, releasing their latest endeavor, Far Beyond Nothing.
Photo by Sam Pinola
L.M.I. kicks off Far Beyond Nothing with rockin’ hardcore tune with an underlying screamo mood “Coffin Niche”. Kevin’s drumming and guitarist Will’s vocals do one helluva job standing out amidst the chaos. The band keeps the energy going on hardcore rocker “Destined for the Ground”. Will and bassist Brando delve into some dark and intriguing territory here. “Stress Dreams” is a hardcore punk song that bounces in and out of stoner rock territory incredibly well. Will and Kevin seem to feed off of each other on guitar and drums, respectively.
The brutality of L.M.I. is witnessed on metal-tinged hardcore screamo track “Sun Rites”. Between the powerfully driven drums and guitar, this is one mesmerizing jam. The urgency continues on stoner rockin’ melodic hardcore tune “Rational Defect”. This is heavily seen in Will’s guitar and vocals. Far Beyond Nothing closes out with hardcore punk rock song “Collapsing Pages”. The band builds a wall of cacophony with some killer drumming and guitar playing. One can only imagine how much L.M.I. has matured over the years but they have certainly put together an extraordinary recording.
lmiband.bandcamp.com/album/far-beyond-nothing
facebook.com/events/387320184995048
L.M.I. descends upon 51 West in Tempe, located at 51 W. Southern Ave., on July 21st with Gilbert hardcore punkers Heatstroke, Phoenix hardcore band Nosebleed, Phoenix punkers Deathride, Phoenix grindviolence band Gimp and AZ post-hardcore punkers Innocent Eyes.
~Garyn Klasek
