UMUR "Dödskontrol" ("Death Control") is an EP release by Danish, Copenhagen based hardcore act Halshug. The EP was released through D-Takt & Råpunk Records in June 2013. It was originally released on 7" vinyl and was limited to 350 copies (100 of them on piss yellow vinyl). The band at this present time (this review was written in October 2015) offers the EP up for free on their Bandcamp profile. Halshug were formed in 2012 and released a demo that same year, but "Dödskontrol" is their first label release.

The music on the 4 track, 9:30 minutes long EP is pretty standard D-beat hardcore. The most distinct sounding feature is the Danish language lyrics, and it´s not even that obvious that they are singing in Danish because of the raw shouting delivery. The band is generally well playing and the four tracks are well written, powerful, and aggressive. "Pretty standard" is usually not a positive expression to use about music, but in this case it´s not meant as negative as it may sound. D-beat hardcore is (with a few exceptions) a stylistically rather limited genre, and the fans of the genre usually don´t want it any other way, so it´s not really fair to judge "Dödskontrol" using a parameter like originality, when Halshug obviously don´t aim at sounding 100% original (as if that was possible anyway...).

What you can judge the EP by is the raw delivery of the music, the well sounding production job, and how catchy the material is, and in those departments "Dödskontrol" score relatively high. It´s hard not to scream along to the choruses on "Skyd Eller Dø" ("Shoot or Die") or "Slå Ihjel" ("Kill"), and if that is true, I think Halshug is half way there. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Blodets Bånd" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish, Copenhagen based hardcore act Halshug. The album was released through Southern Lord Records in February 2015. Halshug was formed in 2012 and released a demo that same year, and in 2013 they released the "Dödskontrol" EP, which was their first label release.

"Blodets Bånd" is an aggressive and very much to the point affair. Stylistically we´re treated to D-beat influenced hardcore with fast paced guitar riffs, bass, and drums, and a shouting aggressive vocalist in front. The album only features 8 tracks and a full playing time of 17:22 minutes, so it can be argued that you don´t get much quantity for your hard earned money, but fortunately the high quality of the material makes up for it. The tracks are simple, raw, and quite catchy with easy to scream along to choruses. You won´t even notice that the lyrics are in Danish when you scream out your lungs to tracks like "Gudsforladt" ("Abandoned by God")", "Kvælende Frygt" ("Suffocating Fear"), or "Knæl" ("Kneel"). With an energy level like this, I can only imagine how much fun it would be attending one of their gigs.

The musicianship is solid, and the sound production raw, detailed, and powerful. The only minor issue concerning "Blodets Bånd" is that the tracks are rather one-dimensional, and while it´s not a major issue when it comes to hardcore punk, this is where Halshug could improve. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.