Despite many of my musical roots tracing back to the world of punk music, my efforts to find worthwhile punk in today’s climate only yield a single handful of interesting moments at best in any given year. Even then, however, it’s been years since a name fresh to my ears has come around to deliver anything that has impressed me from top to bottom virtually without exception. Only the likes of Iron Reagan and Truchło Strzygi have been able to perform to that extent to me with the years going on never offering much more than those two. But, finally, like rain in the desert, Korrupt has come upon my ears with their new album precisely what I’ve been needing and still somehow so much more.

Any work of a single style is never something to look down upon given the masterful focus that can be made in the right hands, but there are few things that can compare to an eclectic blend mixed to a delectable level that compels the listener to explore every given aspect of the sound at hand. Punk certifiably plays a role in Korrupt’s sound, yet it’s with the inclusion of hardcore and even some faint elements from the world of black metal that we’re given a real powerhouse of a performance for “Secret Sorrows” to really take the listener by the throat without so much as a shred of compromisation or hesitation. After a silence that was only prolonged by the pandemic, it’s in the twelve tracks brought to life across a 40-minute runtime that Korrupt effortlessly brings to life an energetic performance that never once misses the opportunity to deliver some captivating riffage or a cathartic blast that does real justice for the roots of Korrupt as it’s every bend of “Secret Sorrows” that we witness the band doing no less than absolutely dominate. It’s a straightforward performance when it’s all said and done, but in no way does that mean that Korrupt has brought anything but their all when it came to crafting this massive record. It’s of the sort that instantly sinks its claws into your flesh with only the ending of the record itself being the only release that the listener would ever receive from the band, but it’s after succumbing yourself to all that “Secret Sorrows” has to offer that you turn back around once more in some form of masochism given how Korrupt has truly put themselves a cut above the rest with this record.

While I have no doubt that there have been many works of the punk underworld that have eluded my gaze over the years, I cannot express to you how joyous I am to have stumbled upon an effort like this. At every turn, Korrupt makes damn sure to capitalize on what it means to be a tenacious name in this style to the fullest extent with the talent to match such fire. “Secret Sorrows” will surely stand to become not just a landmark release for Korrupt, but an effort that must be known as a must-stop locale for anyone into this particular brand of fast-paced catharsis of the highest order.

“Secret Sorrows” releases on March 1st via Holler Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Secret Sorrows” via YouTube here or below.

LIKE Korrupt on Facebook here.