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In a scene which has become increasingly choked between tough guy posturing and preening, Internet-savvy fashionists, the rarest breed of all is the band which chooses a path of humility, respectability and hard work. They present themselves as they are every flaw intact and every scar worn like a badge of honour which separates them from the well-manicured, corporate-sponsored herd. They approach the music they make with an ever-increasing desire to raise the bar of aggression, intensity and soul, constantly pushing themselves forward towards new plateaus of expression and conviction. And most importantly, their live show is blood, sweat and guts the kind of performance that drags you in with a mangled claw and refuses to let go, pulsating and spitting venom until every set of eyes and ears in the room have been taken. And if this all sounds too foreign, you clearly need to witness a Struck by Truth performance.

Formed in Mississauga, Ontario in 2003, Struck by Truth (vocalist J Spencer, guitarists James Reid and Brandon McColl, bassist Dan Van Dyken and drummer Kevin Richards) released their self titled demo shortly after and have subsequently spent the last three years of their existence pummelling through Ontarios vast underground network of aggressive music, playing wherever and whenever they can. With the recent independent release of their debut full length, Seeds, they seem poised to gain some serious notoriety. Produced by Greg Dawson (The End, Moneen, Mare) at BWC Studios, Seeds is a stunning collection of songs which bridge the gap between early Metallica/Slayer thrash riffing, hair-raising technical freakouts akin to the Dillinger Escape Plan, and the dynamic and atmospheric sensibilities of Converge and Neurosis with just enough traditional punk rock aesthetic to cohesively bring it all together.

Shattering the walls of artistic and cultural division while embracing what they create with an honesty that is far too absent in most of their peers, Struck by Truth are blazing a path all their own one that will no doubt take them to even greater things.

Written by Graham Christian