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When you see that an album is produced by Kurt Ballou and released on Southern Lord, you sort of know what you’re getting yourself into: it will be brief, brash and brutal. For Sect, brevity is key; with 10 tracks coming in at under 17 minutes, No Cure… is a discordant barrage of aural abuse, full of vigour and swagger, yet dripping with gob and a bitter attitude. Drawing from grind, crust and hardcore, the punishment is relentless, with the tempo changes feeling like being stabbed then slowly dragging the blade out again. Drummer Andy Hurley (yes, the guy from Fall Out Boy, but don’t judge) deserves a medal for his destructive display, powering the music into absolute headfuck territory, leading a Hatebreedesque bounce that leaves you on your knees. Only the final track, Avoidance Ritual, shows some semblance of conformity, but while the record isn’t as avantgarde as Code Orange, there is kinship in Sect’s desire to cause harm, leaving you in a quivering ball on the floor.

Luke Morton joined Metal Hammer as Online Editor in 2014, having previously worked as News Editor at popular (but now sadly defunct) alternative lifestyle magazine, Front. As well as helming the Metal Hammer website for the four years that followed, Luke also helped relaunch the Metal Hammer podcast in early 2018, producing, scripting and presenting the relaunched show during its early days. He also wrote regular features for the magazine, including a 2018 cover feature for his very favourite band in the world, Slipknot, discussing their turbulent 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone.

Sect - No Cure For Death album review

Kurt Ballou-produced brutalists gleefully twist the knife