SPEED “ONLY ONE MODE” Review
Sydney, Australia’s Speed have been one of the most undeniable new bands in hardcore since their inception in 2019. The band’s first EP, 2022’s impressive Gang Called Speed was nearly inescapable, and launched Speed into their first world tour - including a sold-out run in the US that served not only their first headlining tour in the country, but their first ever tour in the US. Like something out of a movie, Speed had damn near taken over the world in the two years since Gang Called Speed was released. Now, the band’s long-awaited debut LP has arrived, and one thing is abundantly clear - Speed know who they are, and ONLY ONE MODE is their declaration that they are here to stay.
The album kicks off with its lead single, the crushing and impassioned anthem “REAL LIFE LOVE.” The song truly is the perfect opener for this record, with multiple dramatic tempo changes setting the stage for each new section to stand out and pummel the listener without ever approaching a feeling of being forced. In fact, throughout ONLY ONE MODE’s roughly 25 minute runtime, Speed’s penchant for expertly playing with dynamics and tempo changes is on full display. Further evidence of this is the following track “DON’T NEED,” in which each section ebbs and flows flawlessly between slower verses led primarily by drums and bass, and fast and memorable machine-tight riffing in the chorus. “DON’T NEED” also boasts a massive breakdown towards its ending, which slows down before resolving in a sample, only to explode back to life for a few bars after the sample has sufficiently convinced everyone the song was over.
Ferocious album highlight “NO LOVE BUT FOR OUR OWN” follows, opening with ringing out guitars as vocalist Jem Siow bellows, “There’s no fear, no tears I owe / We’re all fighting battles some may never know,” after which the band pauses for a moment before slowing down into a violent and groove-driven monster of a riff. Speed picks up the pace into the first verse, quickly finding their pocket before transitioning into a more melodic hook, once again ensuring that every section of the song feels like a fresh thought, all the while never breaking cohesion. Around the two minute mark, the band builds up to a comically long pause before a behemoth of a breakdown is unleashed, one that the band somehow is able to best at the end of the song by what is likely the single heaviest moment on the entire record. This segues perfectly into the succinct-yet-thoroughly-pissed “ONLY FOES…” which clocks in at just over a minute and does not waste a single second, as the urgency and ferocity on display in this track is genuinely something to behold.
“THE FIRST TEST” is an unorthodox track that abandons traditional song structure, where the first minute builds and builds to the instrumental back half of the song, which sees the band bringing into the mix turntables and flute (yes, flute on a hardcore record) to vary up a single repeating guitar riff. Standout “KILL CAP” follows, with a dark and menacing presence that sets the tone for some of the most intimidating riffs Speed have released to date.
The pair of album closers “I MEAN IT” and “CAUGHT IN A CRAZE” send ONLY ONE MODE out on a high note, as the former boasts an infectious hook that is sure to inspire people to climb over each other for the microphone at shows. “CAUGHT IN A CRAZE” (the album’s proper closer, and Speed’s longest track to date) is a multifaceted and destructive song that resolves with a monumental mosh part that the band repeats endlessly until the record fades out to a close.
On ONLY ONE MODE, Speed live up to the hype with a confident and inspired debut record that is heavy, pissed off, and undeniably itself. Not only is ONLY ONE MODE Speed at their best to date, but serves as a solid foundation for wherever the band decides to go next.
8/10
