Strange Wilds slays with the hellish fury of the Northwest hardcore scene’s best, the heavenly scuzz of a Bleach-era Nirvana, and the purgatorial punishment of Touch & Go post-rock meets Devo’s de-evolution machine. The 11 songs here bleed with the hybrid DNA of Seattle’s past and future, disparate scenes fused together with sneering menace and intelligent fury in equal shares. The opening propulsion-grind of “Pronoia,” with its chugging, bottomed-out riff and scream-speak vocals, announces the band’s arrival with authority. “Oneirophobe” spirals sinisterly, layering its heaviness delicately amidst multiple tempo changes and a snarling chorus. The body-swaying two-step of “Autothysis” comes straight from a decaying high school gymnasium; just when you think you might be able to dance to it, it devolves again into a shouting breakdown. Some songs plow through the thick fog of sludge and dirge, while others soar and speed along at breakneck pace. The titles are heady; the sensations are primal. Riffs and energy are kings in the world of Strange Wilds, connecting dots and moving the whole dense show along. Keenly cognizant of their roots, the band members embrace both sides of that dual DNA with fervor.