DEADSKIN - A HOME IN THE SUFFERING (EP REVIEW)

DEADSKIN – A HOME IN THE SUFFERINGReleased: July 19, 2024LineupMitchell Rawlings // VocalsJames Gibson // BassBen Baragwanath // DrumsPatrick Black // GuitarOnlineWebsiteFacebookInstagramTurning Victoria’s metal scene into a bloodbath more gory than the human mind can imagine, Melbourne’s most lethal metalcore crew DEADSKIN have been painting the walls with brain matter since their first appearance and debut EP What Do You Count To Fall Asleep? back in 2022. Setting the mood for demise with bloodthirsty guitars striking at every opportunity, feral, unrelenting vocals, and horror-themed hair-raising elements.Descending the plains of hell, DEADSKIN dig deep up through the volcanic crust to the inner core and came back with widely popular molten, hot single 'NEVERBLOOM'. Implementing further guitar brutality and harsher beatdown undertones, the 4 piece gave their loyal followers a peak behind the curtain into their next phase of decimation, and it would be the most devastating yet.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lxyQAsZ1WI&ab_channel=DEADSKINSprinting through a decaying forest at night, your weak phone flashlight is your only source of luminescence, you hear someone, something… barrelling in your direction, a never ending chase. Whispers fill the atmosphere all around, they’re in your head; LET THE DEVIL IN'ISHIMARU' isn’t just an eerie build-up of possessing whispers and startling fry screams, it’s your intro to debut single 'ISOLATED', who opened the door and welcomed us to our haunted HOME IN THE SUFFERING. Released previously in May, 'ISOLATED' is quick to break the ice; a full band assault of pounding low-end guitars, barraging drums, and attention-demanding growls speak volumes for the further massacre we can anticipate along this EP. Terrorising string squeals behind the chugs open up the song well to move into a less intense glitchy guitar-layered verse. Mitch’s vocals fly wild ranging from delicious highs, cold-blooded mids and barbaric gutterals. Keeping things moving but changing it up with a predominantly bass, drum and vocal bridge which was sick to mellow out too and take a breather before more impending doom.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCLNy579KBA&ab_channel=DEADSKINRhythmic anthem ‘IN DEATH’ is hot to handle so wear oven mitts. Burdening the same aggressive intentions as its predecessors in a different way; themed with deathly repercussions of alcoholism and the poison it seeps not just in body, but your surroundings. Screaming ‘IN DEATH’ at the top of his lungs to trigger jammy choruses, complimented by the sadistic punch of the snare. The silent transition sledge hammers into an absolute skull crusher of a breakdown littered with hi-fret picking, and two-step kicking BWOWS. Slightly separating from high set bar of heaviness, 'NOT LIKE U' drives more push with tripped-out synth, funky bass grooves, and placing those creepy whisper vocals into the spotlight we heard prior on debut EP track 'BODIES'. This song induces a suffocating environment around your neck, choking out on your own bile and spit with every blast from the ruthless, never ending chugs, then lending a slow release to recover your breath for the groovier sections only to repeat the cycle once more.We’ve heard many different layers of brutality and blitzing towards the end of the 7 track EP with flesh-tearing speed, I think it’s about time to vary it up a little, queue 'LIFE’S A BITCH'. Straight slam/beatdown tuneage to the max, beginning with cascading natural harmonics, slammy chords and a hectic current of 00s ready to rip you further into the abyss. The base level of drums and vocal pairing in earlier verses show off more hardcore diversity, and the down tempo’d in and out breakdown displays how well they can play around the metalcore genre with no limits. My only critique is the small clean-picking transition into the last slamdown felt a bit sloppy and takes you out of the moment, otherwise solid. Last month's release 'RATS IN THE WALLS' feat. Body Prison was our second gaze into the helleidoscope, boasting interstellar riffage, techy, head-banging rhythms, finished off by the dual vocal performance of a lifetime.Mitch Rawlings captained this EP’s vocals extraordinarily, now it’s time for a deserved breather so fellow Melbourne local Daniel Macdonald of Body Prison can take the reins for a minute. Slowing things down as your heartbeat drops less and less with the tempo, Dan projects his bellowing growls asserting his dominance over the backing instruments, reaching for gutturals like they’re in infinite supply.

Humbling a slight iridescent resembling tone to ‘Don’t Go’ by Bring Me The Horizon not in sound, but by means of an emotionally raw, cinematic atmosphere. Final track 'A LETTER OF FAREWELL' ascends with blissful reverbed piano, hysteric yells calling for help, or any nature of empathy. Sadness is a cousin to anger, using it to cut through the soft despairing roars, a full instrumental, melancholy crescendo rips your soul from the void, reattaching you to a flesh-bound misery, left to bathe in the trauma of your rotting organ prison.A HOME IN THE SUFFERING tells its dark tales fantastically, painting a well-made narrative with lyrical storytelling and instruments that do more than just back it up. I personally thought there was significant improvement since the first EP in many areas; though DEADSKIN have been using synths and other elements to implement a horror-esk vibe since the last EP, it felt fuller and did a better job giving me goosebumps. General mixing and mastering as a whole was way better and really displayed their sound with clear intent. The only erks’ I could think of was the jarring heaviness could be perceived as overwhelming by some, not by me, but by some.Keep doing what you’re doing gents, you’re on the right path.

DEADSKIN – A HOME IN THE SUFFERING EP tracklisting1. ISHIMURA2. ISOLATED3. IN DEATH4. NOT LIKE U5. LIFE’S A BITCH6. RATS IN THE WALLS (feat. Daniel Macdonald of Body Prison)7. A LETTER OF FAREWELLRating: 8/10A HOME IN THE SUFFERING out July 19. Get it hereReviewed by Ed Atlas (@YourFavouriteMerchGuy)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKMszggm8Us