SCOWL Live In Toronto

Photos: TOP8 Scene

Scowl doesn't seem to care if some people think they aren't "hardcore" anymore.

The Santa Cruz, California, 4-piece is kicking and screaming their way through North American cities on a tour supporting their new record, Are We All Angels.

While the new record certainly includes more clean vocals and sing-along moments, Kat Moss provides plenty of venom and snarl that first broke her and Scowl onto the hardcore scene with Scowl's debut, "How Flowers Grow".

Scowl descended on Annabel's in Toronto on November 8 and blistered through a passionate and wild set, with Kat dominating the stage with her inimitable stage presence, her green hair leaping around like grass being mowed down, never once standing still. Moss is a powerhouse and one of the must-see vocalists in the scene right now.

Guitarist Mike Bifolco brings the nasty, punchy hardcore crunch that fans expect, with bassist Bailey Lupo bringing thundering groove over Cole Gilbert's smashing performance on the skins. 

The show was Scowl at their pissed off best, with a heavy dose of new tracks off the new album. The opener, Special, is a hook-laden slammer that gets anyone moving, followed by other album highlights, including B.A.B.E., Fantasy, Not Hell, Not Heaven, and Fleshed Out, among others.

Are We All Angels is out now and is full of big riffs, powerful groove, and extremely catchy vocal melodies that also pair with plenty of throat-shredding screams from Moss. If you need something to get you moving, a shot of adrenaline, and something to get stuck in your head all day, Scowl has you covered. Seeing it live takes the experience to another level. 

For anyone dismissing Scowl's newest release for not being "hardcore" enough, I'd simply say you're dismissing something special and evolved that has equal parts haunting qualities as it does punch-you-in-the-teeth punk riffs. 

SCENE SNAPS