(written by Islander)
We’re latecomers to the talents of the Boston-based quartet KARATE STEVE, but thanks to the song and video premiere we’re now hosting, we’re enthusiastically on board. Latecomers, because the song is the title track to the band’s forthcoming third album, Time Under Tension, and we overlooked the first two. On board, because it’s a hell of a good song, one that gets the blood pumping and nerves jangling.
By way of background for others who might also be newcomers, the band was formed about a decade ago and consists of guitarist/vocalist Ben Davis, lead guitarist/vocalist Robb White, bassist Earl Brown, and drummer Zach LeWinter. They’ve drawn from a wide array of influences, from ‘90s death metal and hardcore to thrash, sludge, and more, and the album title-song you’re about to hear is a good example of how well KARATE STEVE mix and match those influences.
photo by Matt Bass
In this song KARATE STEVE create an energizing but also stressful amalgam of sensations and moods. The drums pop, thump, and clatter, like the kit’s set up inside the listener’s skull. The bass creates bowel-loosening plunder. The slashing and squirming riffage is head-hooking but disturbingly feverish. The vocals sound like a cross between a madman’s scream and a wolf’s rabid snarl, as raw as roadburn.
The combined effect is simultaneously muscle-moving and head-scrambling, simultaneously mean and mad, and even more head-scrambling when the band shift into a rapidly jackhammering groove, providing the backdrop to a guitar solo that sounds like demented ecstasy.
As the song nears the end, after further doses of slashing fretwork and weaponized double-bass, the band also segue into an instrumental performance that’s the music’s darkest phase yet. While the drumfills are explosive and the bass slugs hard, the riffing sets up a bleak throb, a tension-torquing pulse that meshes with the song’s name — a distressing phase that then slowly drowns.
photo by Matt Bass
That’s what we have to say, and now here’s what Ben Davis has to say:
“We chose ‘Time Under Tension’ as the title track because we feel like it thematically represents the rest of the record. Lots of riffs and turnarounds, and a cool solo section. It’s a song about anxiety attacks and insomnia, which are probably relatable topics for most people, considering the current climate.”
Kudos to Matt Bass too for filming and editing a video that’s as electrifying to watch as the song is to hear. And of course, the video wouldn’t be this good if the band weren’t fun to watch as they throw themselves into the music. Some lucky folks will soon have the chance to see them in the flesh on stage (more about that below).
MORE CREDITS: “The band returned to Boston music scene luminary Alex Allinson at The Bridge Sound & Stage (Lesotho, Miracle Blood, The Freqs, Bedtimemagic) – who manned the boards for the previous release, and again helped the band realize their vision, almost acting as a fifth member – after which Time Under Tension was mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering (Unsane, KEN Mode, Great Falls).”
Time Under Tension will be released digitally on October 24th with physical versions to follow. Find digital preorders via the link below — and then also lend your ears to the previous single from the album, “Gentrifier“.
The album comes recommended for fans of High On Fire, Mastodon, Chimaira, Arsis, Darkest Hour, and fellow Massachusetts acts Shadows Fall, Unearth, Diecast, and Sam Black Church.
We mentioned earlier that KARATE STEVE will be playing some shows soon, and here’s the current schedule (we’re told that more dates are in the works):
10/02/2025 Lucky 13 – Brooklyn, NY
10/03/2025 ask a punk – Potsdam, NY
10/04/2025 ask a punk – Utica, NY
10/24/2025 Cherry St Station – Wallingford, CT
PRE-ORDER:
https://karatesteve.bandcamp.com/album/time-under-tension
KARATE STEVE:
https://karatesteve.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/karatesteveband
https://www.facebook.com/KarateSteveBand