Richmond, Virginia, has a deep bench when it comes to heavy music, and LCTR (pronounced “Locator”) has been one of the harder-hitting names coming out of that scene for a few years now. The four-piece – Travis Simmons on vocals, Tim Madison on guitars and backing vocals, Greg Branch on bass, and Ethan Donnelly on drums – pull from a lineage that includes The Acacia Strain, Animosity, and Ion Dissonance. No frills, no BS, as they’ve put it themselves. “Paved With Blood”, dropping April 16th and recorded, mixed, and mastered by Javier Ramos, is their most recent statement of intent. The EP features a guest appearance from Kendal of Richmond’s own Heavy Is the Head on “Last Rites in Texas,” which, for a three-track release, is a notable get.
“Ghosts of the Cosmodrome” is probably my favorite track on the EP. The pacing here is sublime; it starts out slow like grinding gears on a machine that hasn’t been turned on in 50 years, with the dissonant sirens ringing, and then a slow riff that feels like the machine revving back up, and when it kicks into full gear, those kicks are like pummeling your skull, it’s a full-scale sonic assault but it doesn’t go on mindlessly the band pulls us back into more groovy riffs to keep the sense of musicality intact and then slowly leads us back in full circle fashion to that slow grinding riff at the start.
“Wolves in the Kingdom of Sheep” has a lot more of a groove to it, and the way it starts with that repeated riff bouncing from the left to the right channel like whispering evil going back and forth. It’s the most melodic song on the EP, in my opinion. It’s not as sonically adventurous as the other two songs, with this one staying in one lane the whole time, but the execution is great and is exactly what this kind of song needs. On the other hand, “Last Rites in Texas” is a grimy song that really lives up to that hardcore label associated with the band. The sounds are so guttural on that song, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. There is a great sense of cohesion on the EP. It feels like these two songs each have a distinct vibe that was combined for “Ghosts” which is probably why that one resonated with me more, because it feels more unique like that.
Travis has talked about the band being older guys with careers and families, prioritizing quality over quantity when it comes to output. “Paved With Blood” reflects that approach. Three tracks, no filler, each one doing something slightly different within a tight genre framework. For anyone already familiar with the Richmond scene or the beatdown hardcore world more broadly, LCTR is worth keeping on your radar. This EP gives them another solid entry in the catalogue.
