(Below is Wil Cifer’s review of No Peace, a new album by D.C.-based No/Más that’s set for release on March 13th by Redefining Darkness. The cover art was created by Brian Sheehan.)
There could never be a more fitting soundtrack for the world today than this album. NO/MÁS are angry as fuck. They are not here to spread good news. They are bringing their apocalyptic message to you with a perfect guitar sound for it, that is a balance of brutality which is refined enough to keep the riffs in focus, rather than just being a raw outburst.
At times, grooves slide into the riff. They write songs with an ear for detail, and maximize the two-minute runtime of these songs, cramming more punch in under three minutes than some bands can pack into an entire album. A Slayer influence certainly looms over this album. They throw in guitar harmonies into “Blood Soaked Soil” to break up the feral explosion and breakdowns.
The chaos of “Abolition” is pulled together by some cool riffs. Their knack for writing headbanging riffage comes from the thrash side of their musical DNA, and can also be heard on “Leech”, where they dig into a more classic metal gallop. Vocally, they get the point across; the snark employed on “Lay Indígena” might be the most fierce vocal expression captured on the album.
It’s clear on “Choke Point” that despite the frantic punk energy that keeps the album moving, these guys have metal chops combined with a hardcore attitude, which pulls the songwriting together. It would be easy for them to allow the momentum they are hitting you with to carry them away and become a senseless blur of spastic sonics, but it is all reined in as memorable songs worth returning to. I guess this explains why they are on Redefining Darkness, which is primarily a metal label.
They use their riffs more like a sword than a club on “Spineless,” creating a hook for them to lock into. The title track is more of an exercise in brutality, but even then, it grew on me the more I listened to this album. They end things with more of a thrashing attack on the last song. They throw themselves into a hyperactive punk explosion. There is also a fair amount of hardcore injected into the elements, combined to bring this all together, so fans of hyper-aggressive hardcore will also find something to embrace here.
Grindcore is not my go-to genre, since I am more drawn to darkness and melody, so for a grindcore record to really capture my ears, they are doing something right, which at the end of the day comes down to writing great songs. Anyone can capture a sound with the right equipment and production, but not everyone can write memorable songs, so this is what enables these guys to set the bar for the rest of the genre to measure up to. The further we get into 2026, with the world today, the most aggressive sound for the shortest attention spans is a perfect fit. If you are already a grindcore fan, this album is a must.
https://nomasgrind.bandcamp.com/album/no-peace
https://www.facebook.com/NOMASGRIND/