White noise feeds back into the listener’s ears. An overwhelming feeling of discomfort sets the stage for Phase One (Flatspot Records) to begin in riotous fashion. ‘A. D. (Anno Diabolus)’ starts with a slow, brooding bass and excerpts of a voice talking about “the demon” that “feeds on your hate”, before the screaming starts. As the band kick in underneath the yelped vocals, there’s a carnal urge to flip tables and spin kick like your life depends on it. In a mere forty seconds, Section H8 are able to tap into the base urges of humanity’s inherently violent nature and get your adrenaline pumping like a shot to the heart.

This heart-bursting energy never dips in the EP’s brief run time – all songs bar one are below two minutes long – and remains an exciting prospect throughout. The EP’s concise nature means that it never becomes exhausting or overbearing, and the addition of a snippet of Jimmy Cliff’s ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ acts as an oasis in this fiery landscape. ‘Lullaby’ is a monstrous track filled with mosh calls and gang vocals guaranteed to get a room full of people moshing. Musically the EP is a touch samey, but when there are such visceral emotions behind the performance it’s hard to care.

Part of the EP’s brilliance comes from its production. There’s a clarity to every note, nothing lost in the deluge of brutality, and an overshadowing atmosphere of violence to proceedings – the vocals, in particular, stand our as bright and vibrant in amongst the darkness of the musicianship.

The EP is wonderfully well paced and constructed. Every song segues perfectly into the next with barely a moment to breathe between. As the finale and title track comes around, it’s hard to wrap your head around the aural assault you have just been victim to. You need to revisit the brutish force that Section H8 harness so excellently. As the final sample cheekily remarks, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”, you realise that Section H8 are a frighteningly exciting prospect for the world of Hardcore.

We really ain’t seen nothing yet.

7 / 10

SAM SAVIGNY