The Power and The Glory are hardcore out of here

If you’re looking for an inspirational fix of Christian hardcore, The Power and The Glory is not here to help you out.

“Jesus is pretty much the antithesis of what we’re down with,” says Ezra Morris, vocalist for the Atlanta band, previously known as Downpour before copyright problems forced them into making the recent name change. “We just wanted a name with a sense of irony and a sense of humor.”

The Power and The Glory’s name may be playful in nature, but its sound isn’t. The band plays a scathing brand of hardcore that is piercing, frantic and wholly unforgiving. Eschewing the tasteless abuse of one-chord breakdowns and forced melodic passages, the band’s songs are built instead on guitarist Kenn Twofour’s visceral, spiky riffs and Morris’ impassioned growls.

Not to say that dynamics aren’t at hand, though. On the upcoming release Call Me Armageddon, the band’s first full-length under their new name and for Boston label Deathwish Inc., Twofour and bassist Blair Gainous create surprisingly lush and poignant soundscapes to offset Morris’ brutal vocal delivery. Drummer Brian Lunsford’s sharp style acts as a solid rhythmic driving force, frequently straying from the more typical hardcore drum beats to lapse into sludgy grooves and even the occasional blast beat.

After over a decade of history with the relatively stagnant Atlanta hardcore scene, the quartet is ready to move on to something new. In January, they’ll relocate to Boston, where Twofour and Morris will do merchandising work for Deathwish Inc. as well as Bridge 9, another Boston hardcore label.

“We can’t wait to get this completely fresh start,” says Morris.

For this band reborn, the future holds a deeper level of focus, a higher level of scene immersion, and of course, more shows? The Power and the Glory plays the C-12 Warehouse (650 Murphy St.) Fri., Jan. 2. $6.