Platoon,The - birth to box

German act The Platoon is back with four new tracks of brutal, no-nonsense metallic hardcore on the "Birth to Box" 7". Expect loads of 90's-styled midpaced chugging, massive breakdowns and a tasteful sense of groove, burly vocals, as well as a handful of directly metal-based influences such as quick little lead melodies and a few thrashy picking patterns. As with most bands of this nature they're not really trying to break new ground, and that's totally fine. The songwriting is top-notch, and I'd say they've pretty much mastered this form of hardcore. Absolutely awesome production, too: Nicely polished without venturing into overly-pristine territory. They've got an amazing guitar tone but you can still hear the bass, the drums are well-rounded with a great snap to the snare, etc.