FIXATION - THE SECRETS WE KEEP RED IN BLACK (OUT OF 200)

Red in black vinyl out of 200 Philadelphia stalwarts Fixation are far from newcomers, but on The Secrets We Keep—recorded, mixed, and mastered by the band’s own Wyatt Oberholzer and releasing via WAR Records—there are few traces of the band’s five year history left intact. Opting to demolish the past, pave over the rubble, and start fresh, Fixation makes good on the promises of their 2020 promo. With an impressive roster that features members of Chemical Fix, Wild Red, and Drowse, the band has perfected their own brand of deft, blistering hardcore that’s difficult to ignore. Whether they’re channeling the stripped back stomp of Right Brigade, the tasteful melodicism of American Nightmare, or the self-reflective rage of Blacklisted, Fixation tidily corrals their influences into a refined, no-filler take on modern hardcore that only accomplished students of the genre could deliver. The Secrets We Keep is the final step in a long ascent, trimming the fat and leaving everything but the e