Starve – Nausea (EP Review)

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Paul 'Browny' Brown

Starve – Nausea EP
Released: March 25, 2021

Lineup

Alessio Valentini-Marano // Guitar & Vocals
Ewan Gordan // Bass
Todd Tombleson // Drums
Jordan Dunbar // Vocals

Online

There’s something in the water in Australian music at the moment because we’ve seen an influx of heavy AF bands sporting that industrial metal/deathcore sound emerging, yet the style is always another refreshing take that doesn’t go stale. Starve are pure example of this. Like Alpha Wolf, Gravemind and Justice For The Damned before them, they’re turning heads and snapping necks with their music and cementing themselves as ONES TO WATCH quick smart.

Nausea EP kicks off with ‘All Pretend No Message‘, a slow drag of distortion leading us into some very ETID-esque riffs and frontman Jordan Dunbar‘s deeply rounded gutturals screaming “I hope you starve / wither away mother-fuckerrr” which sets the tone for the rest of the EP. ‘Cobra Effect‘ is just a fast and furious belter that’ll open the floodgates to hell when played live (good thing the lads have a couple of EP launch shows coming up) and the back and forth screams between Jordan and guitarist Alessio Valentini-Marano just compliment each other like two ravaging dogs in a standoff. Todd Tombleson‘s drums like a madman while this happens and commendation for his playing needs to be mentioned, as does Ewan Gordan‘s exceptional bass slamming.

The transition into ‘Sour Times‘ is absolutely fucking impeccable and one of the tightest I have ever fucking heard. There’s no slowing down – if anything the tempo is increased at a frantic rate and doesn’t yield for the entirety of the song. Featuring a cameo by Zach Hatfield of Left Behind who adds a whole new level of heaviness to Starve‘s delivery. The blast beats underneath his vocals make me want to punch the nearest wall so it’s definitively going to fulfil the needs of pit kings and queens at those aforementioned gigs. Once again, props to the lads for the tight transition because I didn’t even notice I was halfway through listening to ‘No One Cares‘ when I checked to see where I was up to. Alessio’s riffs are brutal and I can’t compliment them enough for being the right level of chuggy, disgusting and perfectly delivered. That breakdown though – oooofffft you’re gonna be gurning for days afterwards!

My first introduction to this release was ‘[On Account Of My Emptiness]‘ which I mentioned sounded like the result of Thy Art is Murder arranging a sexy sleepover with Make Them Suffer, Korn and Alpha Wolf. It’s just a filthy fucking banger and the additional cherry on the top is Void Of Vision frontman Jack Bergin‘s now-iconic screams coming through after that slowed down section screaming ‘NOTHING LEFT WHEN I’M DEAD’.

Starve. Photo by NJV MEDIA

‘Spirit In The Well‘ is the epitome of an EP closer. From the second this starts, all the way through until the drowning out of guitars, it doesn’t hold up. You want growls, you got them. You want screams, you got them. You want one last earth-shattering breakdown, you better believe you go it. Stellar work and a fantastic closing track that’ll no doubt leave fans wanting more.

Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of deathcore. Every so often a song/band will appear and pique my interest and I’ll HAVE to write about it to inform the masses. That’s how I felt with this new release from Starve. At 13 minutes in length, this collection of songs have left more of a lasting impression than the plethora of bands who put out songs/releases before them. That’s not to discredit those bands either, Starve just grabbed my attention and maintained it for the duration of this review and the addition 5 spins I’ve had since hitting play for the first time. Kudos lads, bring the mayhem to Brisbane next please.

Starve – Nausea EP tracklisting

1. All Pretend No Message
2. Cobra Effect
3. Sour Times (feat. Zach Hatfield Of Left Behind)
4. No One Cares
5. [On Account Of My Emptiness] (feat. Jack Bergin Of Void Of Vision)
6. Spirit In The Well

Rating: 8.5/10
Nausea EP is out now. Grab a copy here
Review by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul