By: Stephen Szczasny

Artist: Jesus Piece

Album: Only Self

Release Date: August 24th, 2018

Label: Southern Lord

From their inception, Philadelphia’s Jesus Piece have made it their mission as a band to sonically destroy everyone and everything in their path. Formed in 2015, their aggressive brand of metallic hardcore has turned a lot of heads within the hardcore community and deservedly so. The anticipation for their very first LP, Only Self, was incredibly high and damn, in my opinion, it lived up to the hype.

The first track “Lucid” immediately sets the tone of the record by treating the listener’s ears to a barrage of chaos and brutality. This record is fucking intense and crushing; it feels like a 2×4 is being broken over your head repeatedly. From front to back, there are so many great moments; every song feels like it deserves to be on the album (No filler, all killer). It also seemed like they tried to throw some newer aspects into their sound which I thought was great. They mixed in elements of doom, atmosphere, and maybe a pinch of death metal (at least that’s what I picked up on). Everyone in the band is playing their balls off throughout this entire affair; the viciousness is felt through every word spit in your face and each note punching you in the gut. In terms of production, it sounds like they were able to capture the true sound of the band without making it sound too polished. Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos, Like Rats, Dead in The Dirt) did a fantastic job on this project; I wouldn’t be surprised if more bands start seeking him out because this album’s sound is truly enormous!

All in all, Only Self is a bold announcement to the world that Jesus Piece has arrived and aren’t going anywhere. If you’re not a huge fan of hardcore, I would still recommend you give this a try; I really think that there is moments on this record for any fan of heavy music.

Favorite Moments:

“Lucid”, “Punish”, “Curse of the Serpent”, “In the Silence”, “Adamant”, “Neuroprison”

By: Stephen Szczasny

Artist: Skeletal Remains

Album: Devouring Mortality

Release Date: April 13^th, 2018

Label: Dark Descent Records

Hailing from Whittier, California, this vicious death metal machine known as Skeletal Remains has been drawing major attention in the underground and for good reason. I first heard of the band around the time Condemned to Misery was unleashed upon the masses back in 2015. They impressed me from the first listen; they were chaotic, catchy, and crushing.

With their third full-length, they aim to go even darker and more punishing. From the opening track, you know your ears are in for an ass beating. The guitars provided from Chris Monroy are frenetic, ear-splitting, and totally take you on a ride throughout the entire record. The bass, handled by Adrian Marquez, gives a beautiful depth to the record; his tone hits you in the chest and knocks the wind right out of you. Newcomer Johnny Valles handles the drums this time around; his playing is ferocious and a constant attack on the listener’s senses.  The vocals are obviously influenced by John Tardy (Obituary) and Martin Van Drunen (Ex-Pestilence, Asphyx), but on this record, it feels like Chris has really found his own style. His growls are the equivalent of someone writhing in pain; they are truly haunting.

Overall, this record will knock your socks right the fuck off; it’s the bee’s knees. Pick this record up immediately if you’re a fan of DM!!

Favorite Moments:

“Ripperology”, “Seismic Abyss”, “Catastrophic Retribution”, “Parasitic Horrors”, “Devouring Mortality”, “Internal Detestation”

Cheers \m/

By: Stephen Szczasny

Artist: Tomb Mold

Album: Manor of Infinite Forms

Release Date: June 8, 2018

Label: 20 Buck Spin

Holy shit is this album filthy! Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, these Canadian death dealers have put forth a scorching hot release. From the first note you hear, you know you are in for a dirty, grimy journey through the pits of hell.  This is the second full length put out by these guys and, in my opinion, their best so far! I was first drawn to these guys by their 2017 release, Primordial Malignity; it was just straight up heavy as all hell. I was definitely a fan of the band from then on and was really looking forward to this release.

Manor of Infinite Forms is a perfect example of an outstanding death metal release; it has the perfect mix of heaviness, speed, and catchiness. There is some really fucking devastating moments on this album; the sheer aggression piercing into my ears melted my brain! The riffing is both brutal and memorable; I swear that riff from “Abysswalker” is still stuck in my fuckin’ head. The drumming on this record is frantic and pulverizing; it hits you hard and it feels like an earthquake is taking place on each song. The bass provides great bottom end and adds heavy-as-fuck depth to the record. The vocals sound evil and full of attitude; they are drenched in pain and give off an Incantation-vibe which is awesome in my book. Producer Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy, Code Orange) manned the helm for this project and knocked it out of the park again. He made sure the band’s brutal vision was achieved sonically and that every fan who flips this record on is pulverized upon first listen.

All in all, the performances on this record are top notch and the songs absolutely lay waste to anything standing in their path. This sonic slab of utter chaos is definitely worth a listen! One of my favorites so far in 2018!

Favorite moments:

“Abysswalker”, “Blood Mirror”, “Final Struggle of Selves”, “Manor of Infinite Forms”

Cheers \m/

by: Stephen Szczasny

Artist: Havok

Tour: Conformicide Tour 2018

Date: July 24, 2018

Venue: Reggie’s

Chicago, IL.

Where do I start with these guys? Havok has been a huge influence on me since high school. Seeing these guys is always a great time; they’re super tight and give off this astounding energy when they play live. The first time I saw Havok was back in 2013; they had an in-store appearance upstairs at Reggie’s where they used to have a record store called “Record Breakers” (That store has since moved into their own building in the Avondale area). It was a fucking great time; they played a short set and I had the opportunity to meet the band.  It’s one of my favorite memories from going to shows; needless to say, Havok has a special place in my non-existent heart.

On this run, they’re wrapping up the touring cycle for their latest record Conformicide, which was released back in 2017. They plan on spending some time writing and recording their next release after this run is finished. If that performance was any indicator of how their next record will sound, then I am extremely stoked for it. They were killing it! As usual, they sounded as tight as the spandex hair bands sported back in the 1980s. Every song they hammered out was an assault on the ears. I was loving every fuckin’ second of it. They broke out fan favorites such as “Scumbag in Disguise”, “D.O.A.”, “Time is up”, etc. They also sprinkled in some of my favorites from their latest release including “Ingsoc” and “Intention to Deceive”. All in all, a great setlist that would satisfy every fan of this band.

I’m looking forward to catching these guys live again soon, and absolutely anticipating their next release to rip my face off. If you haven’t witnessed the utter mayhem of Havok live, then do yourself a favor and snag a ticket the next time they roll through your respective city.

Cheers \m/

by: Stephen Szczasny

Artist: Exmortus

Tour: Summer of Steel Tour

Date: July 15, 2018

Venue: The Forge

Joliet, IL.

I had the great pleasure of catching Exmortus on their latest North American trek dubbed the “Summer of Steel” tour. It was my second time seeing these guys, and damn do these guys rip. To give a bit of a background of the show, it was a Sunday night and there was barely anyone there. There had to of been a total of like 50-60 people. It sucked to see that upon my entrance into the venue; this band deserves to be playing to packed out clubs every single night. Though I did take advantage of the situation and made sure to get right up on the rail. On this particular tour, they have their new skinsman Adrian Aguilar and Chase Becker (Warbringer) on guitar; the familiar faces of Cody Nunez on bass and the almighty Conan on guitar/vokills are still present.

For playing to a scarce crowd, these guys were on fire! They ripped through each song effortlessly and aggressively. They were playing like they were in front of 100,000 fucking people. As a live band, they have got to rank up there as one of the best bands I’ve ever seen. I say that because their material is definitely not the easiest to pull off in a live setting, but do they ever pull it off. Everyone was on point and absolutely killing it. Their stage presence is second to none; my favorite moment in the show was when Conan and Chase flipped their guitars on their backs and played each other’s guitars. An amazing display of showmanship and shredding! This is the type of live show that makes fans want to come back and see the band again every time they roll through their city. Each song they blasted into was like taking a vicious punch straight to the mouth. I loved every second of it!

I cannot give this band enough praise; they are masters of their instruments and that certainly is reflected in their live show. If you haven’t seen these guys, please catch them the next time they play near you! You’ll be picking your jaw off the floor multiple times throughout their set, and by the time they’re finished, you’ll need help finding your own head because it’s going to fall off from headbanging so fuckin’ much.

Cheers! \m/