Southern hardcore is a style of music that’s relatively difficult to find, and it’s even more difficult to find a band that doesn’t butcher the sound. Thus, it’s always an interesting experience when discovering one of these bands for the first time. For Moscow City natives Grizzly Knows No Remorse, the sound comes naturally. With comparisons to bands like Every Time I Die and He Is Legend, this party-hard four-piece holds its own with its U.S. contemporaries. The quartet’s sophomore full-length album, Fat Glasses and the Leather Mustache, is living proof of this.

The record opens with “What It Takes and How It Tastes,” the fast and ferocious tune with punk undertones. The band’s unrelenting nature makes itself known right away, and gets the album going strong. This sense of ferocity is maintained on the brief but blazing “We are the Party,” and although it doesn’t even last a minute and a half in duration, what the song lacks in length it makes up for in pure intensity. “Good Guys Cum Twice” is significantly more melodic, and there should be no trouble finding the Southern influence here. The melodic yet abrasive sound continues with “Equalising Morning,” while slowing things down ever so slightly, before “Godstasy” picks up the pace once again.

“Waiting to Be” momentarily ditches the chaos in favor of a full-fledged Southern rock tune with a fun shuffle feel to it. The band returns to their aggressive nature on “Refuse, Despise,” but it’s the breakdown at the end of the track that really pushes it over the top. “The Hangover Anthem” follows this up with phenomenal guitarwork throughout the course of the song. Aside from another fantastic song-ending breakdown, nothing in particular really stands out on “Glory Hole.” The album ends with “Wasted Prophet,” one of its weaker songs for sure.

As a whole, the latest effort from the hardcore collective is a fun listen. With vocals reminiscent of Norma Jean and enough Southern influence to fit right in along the lower portion of the U.S., Fat Glasses and the Leather Mustache certainly doesn’t sound like a few Russian gentlemen. These four fellows make very “American” music for not being from America. That being said, the album feels disorienting at times, and a few of the songs just fall flat. The record isn’t necessarily bad; just puzzling enough to hinder it from being “great.”

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/202968760″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Score: 3/5

RIYL: He Is Legend | Every Time I Die | Norma Jean
Buy the album on iTunes | The band’s Facebook page