Amidst a seemingly endless onslaught of bands, labels, and other opportunistic clowns vying for commercial gain via subcultural cannibalism, it can be easy to lose sight of what drew us to punk in the first place. But despite the deluge of bullshit, we know that occasional nuggets of ugly and raw authenticity will claw their way to the surface for the hardcore punk faithful. And folks, we have just such a nugget in Deadly Struggle: 8 tracks of pummeling aural turbulence on a 12" slab for those who desire reality over cosplay. Building off the shockwaves of 2020’s Condemnation, Public Acid’s sound—a skewed, arty amalgamation of bludgeoning hardcore, frantic, riff- soaked d-beat, harsh noise, and underground metal—has only grown more focused and furious. There’s the virtuosic rhythm section, possessing an inhuman combination of lightness of touch and neanderthal power; the blinding, riffs-inside-of-riffs guitar style; the density of sound, massively heavy and pock-marked with kaleidoscopic fuzz; the maniacal vocals, inventive in both their technique and their rhythmic cadences; and, of course, the deadly mid-paced parts. Deadly Struggle reminds us that while hardcore punk will never die, those who cheapen it absolutely will.