The incredibly long-awaited return of this truly terrifying and vile NYHC institution, Optimism Is Self-Deception is the first full-length offering from Darkside NYC since 1989’s Ambitions Make Way for Dread, and time has certainly not mellowed this maniacal force even slightly. With a pedigree that includes membership in Sheer Terror, Merauder, All Out War, and more genuinely frightening, classic hardcore acts, Darkside NYC builds upon its roots in New York’s urban soundscape with nods to first wave black metal, d-beat crust, and even incorporates elements of dark industrial noise. The outcome is a brutally heavy, vicious record with one foot in familiar territory and the other in a bleak, metallic world all its own. Incredible.
–Dave William (Satan Wears Suspenders)