Manchester Has a Problem. Its Name is Guilt Trip.
The red side of Manchester has been quiet lately. But Guilt Trip are making up for it. Not a problem you run from. The kind you willingly walk into, arms wide open, fully aware you’re about to get flattened and oddly grateful for it. Guilt Trip have been quietly doing damage in the UK hardcore scene for over a decade, building their following the old fashioned way: riff by riff, show by show, mosh pit by mosh pit. With God Forgives, a surprise-drop three-tracker, they’ve just announced themselves to anyone who wasn’t already paying attention. Consider this your final warning.
The Tracks
Dirt opens the EP and wastes no time making its intentions clear. The cleans here feel deliberately accessible, a conscious reach toward new ears rather than a detour from their identity. Smart move. The riffs and aggression are vintage Guilt Trip. Fans of Thin Ice and Tearing Your Life Away will feel right at home, but the broader hooks suggest a band thinking about where they want to go next.
Angel Eyes is where things get properly interesting. Punishing, precise, and built around the kind of riff that refuses to leave your skull. Jay Valentine sounds completely locked in and the band hit with a ferocity that puts this squarely among their best work. If River of Lies put Guilt Trip on the map, tracks like this are how they stay there.
Burn gets a fresh remix here and it might be the EP’s most satisfying moment for long-time fans. Tighter production, more punch, rawness fully intact. No frills, no compromise. Pure Guilt Trip.
The whole thing clocks in at just under eight minutes. Eight minutes that will have you hitting play again before it’s even finished.
The Line That Says Everything
God forgives, but I don’t. Four words that hit harder than most bands manage across a full album. Guilt Trip aren’t just riff merchants. There’s something real being said here, and that matters.
The Verdict
Three tracks. Eight minutes. No filler. Dirt casts the net wide, Angel Eyes rewards the faithful, and Burn reminds you why they earned their reputation in the first place. If this is the appetiser, the next full-length can’t come soon enough.
Rating: 7.5/10
Souvik Dey writes at the intersection of music, memory, and modern life.
A consultant by training and a storyteller by instinct, he explores how culture shapes identity and longing.
His work blends introspection with sharp observation, often lingering in silences others overlook.
When not writing, he is usually reading, listening, traveling or gaming.
