A nice, heavy trio of EPs released this week for us to check out. It’s crazy as this is usually dominated by at least a lighter or country release but nope, strap in for plenty of hardcore, deathcore and alt-metal, and some great music in each!
Alyris: Envy and Demise
A nostalgic throwback to the early 2000s era of melodic alt-metal, this debut EP is fucking awesome, and sets the band up for absolutely massive things! It feels like the perfect blend of early Machine ahead, Lacuna Coil and Chimaira, and I love every second of it! From the intro into ‘Empress of the Night’, through the slower ‘Lucid Dreams’ and BRUTAL almost tech-death-y ‘Tempest’ to the proggy closer, the album is packed to the brim with all killer, no filler. Heck, at seven tracks, most of which are pretty long, I’d barely even classify this as an EP; it certainly borders on album territory! However, no matter what it is, it’s an absolutely phenomenal debut release, and there truly isn’t a bad track on here! The band have an absolutely massive future ahead of them, and I’d recommend this to any metal fan! 9.5/10
Boreal Grave: I Am Your Bane
Some brutal, crushing deathcore now, as this band go hard from the very opening of ‘Loathe’ and don’t let up for the entire EP! It’s certainly not for the faint of heart and is full-on throughout. Heck, as much as I loved the riffing, drumming, screams and breakdowns, even I got a bit burned out by the sheer brutally by the end. Still, there is plenty to love if you’re into stuff that sounds straight out of hell itself. The opening track is a big highlight for me, as was ‘In Devil’s Embrace’. It won’t be something I listen to in full regularly, but the individual tracks were a lot of fun and got plenty of scrunched faces and headbanging out of me. It gets a solid 7.5/10!
Killerkorp: Vices
Rounding out this trio of heavy short-releases is the extreme metal powerhouse and their first new EP in five years. It makes up for lost time in a major way though, and is yet another awesome release! It’s another that goes hard from the opening, that driving drum hit on the title track really hammering it all home. The mix/production is interesting, me somehow not liking it and loving it simultaneously. I think it fits the style of music very well, honestly. The riffing on this EP is maybe the standout for me, but the drums are a close second, they’re amazing throughout! ‘Last Gasp’ was probably my favourite on the release, but every track was good on its own merit. ‘Scathed’ was a close second with those riffs and low screams! There is definitely a pretty big market for this release, and it is a fantastic EP within that market, even if the general public wouldn’t be as into it. While not necessarily my thing, I found myself really enjoying it and certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it came back on. It’s another solid 7.5/10!