Kartel is a hardcore act associated with South London and active from 2002. The project forms around a beatdown and hardcore/metal crossover sound, with a London approach to the style and an emphasis on rawness. It appears in connection with LBU and Rucktion Records.

History and releases

Kartel first appears on the three-way split Southbound, alongside Ninebar and Diction. This is followed by a five-song demo and a track on Rucktion’s compilation Time For Some Rucktion. In 2007, the band releases its full-length Rise Of The Guttersnipe on Rucktion Records.

Style

The project takes influence from the hardcore and metal crossover bands of the 1990s, but places that sound in a South London context. It is described through the language of gutter music and beatdown hardcore, with an emphasis on heaviness and directness.