***Yorkshire's most Honorable Master of Mangel brings to bear upon us the sophomore RAT CAGE full-length, an anxiety-compounding white-knuckle ride through the nauseating experience commonly known as trying to get by. On SAVAGE VISIONS, listeners are exposed to the maniacal cries of the critically-minded individual pushed to the absolute brink, copping rapid fire tidings of woe belted out by an unhinged unit who has finally ceased to give a fuck. Here we find Bryan of Sheffield, defiant and desperate on what is by far the most sinister, claustrophobic, reckless and dynamic release in the RAT CAGE catalogue to date. Though it may be full of huge sing-along-moments and loaded with surprises, SAVAGE VISIONS is no party, because there's nothing to celebrate. The boisterous resilience and boozy joy of previous works has vanished. With the rule book shattering the window of the '82nd floor, SAVAGE VISIONS lashes out at times towards the not-too-distant sounds of VENOM, MIDNIGHT and later DARKTHRONE, expertly folding these riff expressions back in to the irresistibly dysfunctional bop of GBH and CRUCIFIX.
LP $26.50
06/20/2025
***It feels like a lifetime ago that the first Rat Cage demo tape was spat into the Hardcore Punk underground. Maybe that’s because for the past 10 years Bry Suddaby has been relentlessly chucking out a slew of pummelling records, arming many Punks worldwide with a soundtrack to survival in the modern age of death and destruction.Fourteen bloody releases later, the third Rat Cage LP comes crashing in as the state of global horror reaches a grave pinnacle. In true RAT CAGE fashion, the drums relentlessly hammer away under rollercoaster riffs, while Bry’s viciously cynical bark spills the trials and tribulations of trying to get by in 2026.For the uninitiated, Rat Cage pulls influence from 80’s Northern European Punk like Missbrukarna or Appendix, contemporary Swedish sweet spot Hardcore like Heratys of Fyfan, ripping USHC a la Poison Idea or Out Cold, while naturally adding a classic British injection of GBH or The Varukers.As always, there’s the constant apprehension that you never quite know what’s around the next bend, and with ‘Not Asking for Much’ Bry has cast the net even further. There’s moments that get as heavy as Bastard, as melodic as the UK Subs, and even a title track that gets as rocking as the Pink Fairies. All amounting to a distinctive and characterful sound that’s unmistakably Rat Cage.With little to be hopeful about as we all suffocate within the authoritarian nightmare, this LP could once again be your beacon of fire. So, light the match and burn alone...
LP $26.50
TBD