Somewhere between punk, grindcore, and hardcore, between Mannequin Pussy, HIRS, and Gymshorts, lies Exit Order. And within this niche, Exit Order has released one hell of an album with their Self-Titled release. A flurry of chords followed by near sound wall levels of high hats and lofi opens the album on ‘Take the Bait’ yet is quickly followed up by ‘Begging’, which plays around far more with rhythm changes along with some, well, sick metalesque distortions. Essentially the album succeeds in many ways due to not only the willingness to experiment but also the ability to concentrate their efforts. The 2013 Demo was definitely a great release yet at times, it felt as though it was unfocused. With this release though, Exit Order is both able to give a creative and far reaching experience but is also able to give some, well, order to the entropy of the various influences and experimentations. For example, ‘Fraud’ plays around with the intro and bridge in a manner that makes you almost reminded of some kind of epic rock stadium vibe and is immediately followed up by the unrelenting head banger that is ‘Rotten Thing’. And that doesn’t even cover the ending track, ‘Order’, which gives heavy nods to early hardcore in such a classic yet unique way, especially with the weirdly hypnotic vocals drawing you in. The point is that Exit Order’s S/T does a commendable job in not only providing some depth and substance for fans, but also by providing some broader experimentation that can make the release even relatable to individuals not so familiar with the scene. That is one hell of a task yet this S/T may have just done it.