As well as being a noted brand of polish for surfaces and furniture, Pledge is the name of a post hardcore band from Portugal. I know that they have a good live reputation, released an EP in 2018 and quote Converge as a point of comparison, which is helpful but Pledge are Pledge and let’s give them credit for cultivating their own identity.

The drama and excitement build up in the form of the sound waves of “Invisible Fires”, but it’s like listening to a different album as the measured hardcore of “Sudden Urge” takes over. The screams are feral, reminding me of the sound of cats doing their thing outside my house. When they’re not, they’re punkish. The musicianship is deep and bassy. It’s moody and instrumentally slick. “Waves of Chaos” is still more punkish in style. Energy mixes in with mood. Pledge pay attention to the structure of their songs so it’s not all breakneck. I like that. “The Great In-Betweenness” ups the tempo but it’s largely the same dark melodic riff with breaks and wild transformations and of course the manic-sounding vocalist. The image is of an ugly street scene as you’d expect of hardcore punk in general. It’s not simple fare. Although true to the genre in style, as the music switches round from dark and heavy sections, thrashy and bass-driven passages. “Wrong Planet Syndrome” has a rare bit of synthesiser, which makes a nice variation, and mixes soft gloom with the more customary angst. It’s an interesting piece. “Today I Choose Life” takes us back to the hard-hitting spectrum of things, and exudes life in a dingy form. The instrumentals are dirty and full of technical intrigue. Comfort is not something we’re supposed to take from this, and the sinister-sounding “Despite Clarity” is further evidence of this. Sharp instrumentals and more angst-ridden vocals are the backbone of “We All Die Alone”. Personally, I preferred the more moody and plaintive tones of the final song “Ocean’s Depth”, which does greater justice to Pledge’s experimental range along with their undoubted instrumental ability.

I can imagine that Pledge are capable of an interesting live show. In recorded form this is quite dark and underground-sounding. What comes across here is a moody type of hardcore with punkish elements, enhanced by complex and aggressive musicianship. “Haunted Visions” is raw and far from a polished performance, but that I guess is the intention.

(7/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.facebook.com/pledgebandofficial

https://ragingplanet.bandcamp.com/album/pledge-haunted-visions