Pipe Bomb is a brand new hardcore music project from Church Girls guitarist Mitchell Layton. Popping up out of nowhere with his debut "False God," Layton quickly started gaining some traction last year, going on to release another couple of really impressive singles. Now he is finally ready to drop his debut EP, Stomp, and I am here for it.

For the uninitiated listener, Pipe Bomb is as explosive as the name suggests. The music is aggressive, frenetic, and meant to be played at loud volumes. If you want a comparison, we can bring up names like The Chariot and Spitfire, though Pipe Bomb is a good deal less chaotic than those bands. And while Stomp's six tracks come in at less than fifteen minutes total, they're each filled to the brim with crushing guitar riffs and urgent, almost desperate screams, rivaling the best of the current hardcore scene. I, myself, was immediately sucked in by the first few seconds of opener "Stomp," with Layton's screams of "Suffocate me!" followed by the jarring, discordant guitars. The EP doesn't really let up after this, either. "False God" and "Dirt" bring a faster pace and occasional double bass, and the shorter, less-than-two-minute tracks all make excellent use of their time and leave memorable impressions.

The intensity of the music is matched by the lyrics; in short, Stomp is an EP that takes seriously sin and its effect on our lives. In the title track, Layton recognizes his (and our) need to die to ourselves to rid us of our sin nature. The song is dire, as he screams and practically begs for his flesh to die. This theme carries through songs like "Chainsaw" and "Suicide Pact," all the way through the closing track, "Dirt" ("Shed all our skin, draw a new line / boil my blood, give the lungs their screaming / let the heat scorch all the old rot / thaw out my frozen soul and make me burn"). My favorite lyrics, though, show up in "False God;" the song is biting and pulls no punches when it comes to humanity's guiltiness and need for repentance. Some of Layton's best lyricism lies in this song, particularly the lines, "In Hell, there are no subtleties / just bastards and trophies / you wanna wash that blood off? / you wanna show your hands that they're wrong? / you wanna wash that blood off? / you break the skin, but it's not enough now / lose heart, lose heart / lose your hardened heart and let grace redeem your soul."

To sum it up, Stomp is a fantastic debut that not only introduces the listener to who Pipe Bomb is, but also defines what the project is about with an exclamation point or two. The not-quite-thirteen-minute runtime always leaves me wanting more, but hopefully this is only the first of much more to come. If you like loud and abrasive hardcore music with bold lyricism, I highly recommend making Stomp your next stop.

- Review date: 2/15/24, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 Record Label: None
 Album length: 6 tracks: 12 minutes, 36 seconds
 Street Date: February 27, 2024
 Buy It: Bandcamp

1. Stomp (2:00)
2. False God (2:34)
3. Chainsaw (1:48)
4. Suicide Pact (1:46)
5. Tied Down (1:40)
6. Dirt (2:48)