REVIEW: Standover - …When a Clenched Fist is No Longer an Option

Standover’s studio debut …When a Clenched Fist is No Longer an Option is a punchy

hardcore playbook filled with dirty crashes and metallic soundscapes that cover every rhythm of the genre throughout its 10 tracks. It strikes a good balance of swinging angst and thrashy chaos, moving between each seamlessly.

…When a Clenched Fist is No Longer an Option opens on the swinging angst side with ‘Gloom’, serving layered screams pushing anguish over a manifesto of misery, then picking up the pace with ‘The Noose’. The mixing choices in this track stand out with the choice to call and response with a radio in the prechorus before a pull no punches breakdown.

The swing is brought to the uptempo tracks in ‘Doomed’, with a classic metal style intro to a satisfying “Go!” before launching into a manifesto of promised suffering and the anger it brings. The latter half of the track is punctuated with a half time breakdown that appears to be a signature for Standover; a textbook convention but executed skillfully throughout the project. The final Pre-interlude track is ‘Off the Leash’, the first filler-feel track on the album, but still nicely chaotic and armed with a violent breakdown that’s hard to fault.

The Interlude features a scene about the uncontrollable nature of deep seated rage, then hits the swinging chord progression for the beginning of ‘Watch it all Burn’, whose highlight is the midpoint guitar solo. A winding gorgeous shredding melody that transforms into a power riff as the drums in the back deepen from a ride lead to the floor lead that backs a politician’s press release waffle - a nod to the politically-charged nature of Standover’s music as they proclaim “we’re all f**king doomed”.

Follow up ‘End You’ is a great warm up track, which switches to a punch in its riffs while

maintaining trading melodies as it resolves into upward scales and more searching solos in its breakdown. It is the perfect intro to project standout ‘Forever Contempt’, which over its two-and-a-half minutes fits in a full build up complete with low scream, punk infused verses with a head banging stop and start motif before filling out its sound with constant double bass rolls picking up in the breakdown into evil military rolls on the foot. The final third of ‘Forever contempt’ is relentless until its crisp China cymbal finish, saying what it needs to say then packing up with efficiency - no notes.

‘Dead to Me’ is the other piece of filler though has a punchy beginning before a downward-

winding tempo, but album closer Slave pulls this right back up in its own introduction, staying relentless into its chorus. The breakdown is swung and is honestly anticlimactic for a closer, having little variation of its runtime then ending with a wind down/fade out that leaves the listener wanting in not the greatest of ways. The fade in on ‘Gloom’ does make for an effective cyclical feeling when listening to this album on repeat, however.

Overall, the word for …When a Clenched Fist is no Longer an Option would be punchy. The

thrashy elements were welcome and were balanced well with the swinging soundscapes, and

no-messing short tracks are always welcome in a genre that likes to keep it pushing. This to the point that ‘Slaves’ seemed to struggle for content in its slightly longer runtime, but that is not to begrudge a band that may need to keep their stamina throughout a set. As mentioned a couple of these tracks came over as filler - though not ideal, neither ‘Dead to Me’ nor ‘Off the Leash’ are bad tracks by any stretch of the imagination. …When a Clenched Fist is no Longer an Option has everything a harcore fan would want for discovering a new band tied in a chain link bow, and is absolutely worth the listen.

Score: 8/10

…When a Clenched Fist is No Longer an Option was released 9th June 2025 via Gutter Prince Cabal.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Standover