I remember listening to the self-titled EP from Philly’s deathy hardcore merchants Scarab in 2023 and thinking “this is some wonderfully hateful stuff”. But it was only 4 tracks and 7 minutes of material. And frankly I didn’t dig into the earlier bits and pieces. But now we have an LP! And LP is used in the most euphemistic of ways, considering this record is a grand total of 12 minutes long across 8 tracks. To be clear, I have no problem with that whatsoever, though I appreciate some folk might.

So yeah. It’s deathy hc, occasionally bordering grind, such is the ferocity and brevity involved. Though not really as there is enough room, just about, for the songs to take a few shallow, rapid breaths on occasion, before they move to another disparate passage or song altogether. Also, there are moments of distinct groove, propulsive rhythmic focus and more besides. One thing it remains throughout it utterly pummelling. It’s relentless in its sense of being wilfully antagonistic to the listener. When you also factor in the final track being called “Intro/The Bug” and the opener “Closure” it’s clear that there is a deliberate non-conformity here, and not only to societal norms, but to the expectations of the listener. And I fucking love it.

The flip side, if indeed it is one, is that some of the content of these songs is a little one-note at times. But to be frank, at 12 minutes long, that’s not a major concern. And indeed the consistency of the weight and aggression is doubtless a conscious decision, so I don’t think I can criticise them for it in any real sense.

Look, if you like the whole death metal x HC hybrid stuff that has become more prevalent in recent years but retains more of the HC angle (as opposed to the Gatecreepers and Creeping Deaths of this world, for example), and exists in what I would say is definitely the upper end of the scale in terms of quality (along with the likes of Manos de Fierro, Mugshot, SCALP, Gates to Hell, etc) then this is for you. (And me.)