Since 2016, Ian Shelton has led Regional Justice Center, a hardcore band that addresses the bleak, crushing humanity of American systems in short, sharp bursts. In their few years of existence, Regional Justice Center have carried the torch for powerviolence, the jagged and ultra-fast hardcore subgenre, and they’ve also come to transcend that scene. Though Regional Justice Center has only released one album thus far, 2018’s masterfully intense World Of Inconvenience, they’ve become a massively important band within hardcore. In a couple of months, they’ll follow World Of Inconvenience with their new album Crime And Punishment. It’s about to be a really big deal.

Crime And Punishment follows a busy 2020 for Ian Shelton. Last year, RJC released the towering stand-alone single “KKK Tattoo” and Regional Jurtice Center, a two-song team-up with Trapped Under Ice/Angel Du$t leader Justice Tripp. Shelton also launched two new bands, Militarie Gun and Sex With A Terrorist, and both of them released excellent debut EPs. For Crime And Punishment, RJC worked with the great hardcore producer Taylor Young, who’s been a member of groups like Nails and Twitching Tongues and Eyes Of The Lord and who’s also produced recent records from bands like Drain and Criminal Instinct.

Crime And Punishment jams its 10 songs into just 13 minutes, but it sounds huge. Along with the album announcement, RJC have dropped two intense new tracks. “Absence” is the kind of unstable ripper that helped make RJC’s name. “Inhuman Joy” is slower and scuzzier, and it’s got a triumphant sense of grime to it. Despite the title, it’s not very joyous. Listen to both below.

Crime And Punishment is out 3/5 on Closed Casket Activities.