Brisk - Hell Or High Water

Having seen Brisk in action tearing up their home turf with vigour at the Church Bar in Canberra, I can tell you first hand that they are one of those bands that you will not easily forget, and are a ‘must see’ live.

Lead vocalist Peter Saladino writhing about, falling down, screaming and kicking out torn sentences like a kid possessed is something worth spending a few bones on, take it from me. A show like this one is hard to mirror onto a record and I was interested to hear how well these guys made the transition.

With a firm cast of relentless supporters Brisk have etched themselves out a little patch of rock that is unexampled and truly their own. Listening to this, their debut Hell or High Water I immediately single out numerous influences, Nirvana, The Bronx, Helmet and Fugazi to name a few. 

It is truly stimulating to hear an album of this gauge by a band not afraid to take their own angle on their influences. With such high profile, influential peers it would be a torment to see, as is always, a bands originality take a back seat to pretentious imitation, luckily in this instance this is not the case.  Brisk walk this thin line with determination and well-spirited confidence.

These six guys (vocals, two guitars, bass, keyboards and drums) are onto a good thing, with a sound that sits neatly between, post hard-core and punk with a splash of grind/noise-core. Listeners and lovers of anything from Isis to Stockholm Syndrome or American heavy hitters Converge, you will enjoy this awesome debut. They have been around the traps for about four years, starting back in 2001 and have recorded their frantic efforts onto an EP (Close Your Eyes And Jump) and also a split CD with Dime a Dozen.

After a national tour with Americans Your Black Star, Brisk came home with sights focused and a view to record an album and have managed to hammer out some of their best sound to date.

Recorded at Sydney’s Megaphon studios’ with producers Damian Coward and Gordon Wood early this year, the album took a few months to take shape with the final eight tracks appearing on the album selected as mascots for their hard hitting accelerated sound.  The mix captures the live aspect of their animal with raw edge, muscle fuelled, bass driven hooks provide a great canvas to drop melodic guitar tones and frantic drumming onto.

Hell or High Water is the first full-length recording from Brisk and what an effort it is. An impressive, deliberately archaic, moody album with presence and hectic energy illuminating the post-punk six piece’s ability to step up to the plate and commit to an album.

Standing out on the album is At Least I’ve Got My Fucking Health, Hell or High Water and personal favourite and closing track, Saint Anthony’s Fire.  My only complaint is that for a full length album, eight tracks long seems a little short after a few listens, but this adds to the uniqueness of this band and their approach to rock.