Florida has long been one of the USA’s major exporter of metal music, from death metal legends such as Death, Obituary, Deicide and Morbid Angel, to more melodic acts such as the always fun Running Wild and power metal institution Kamelot, it is undeniable that the 27th state is home to some of the best to ever do it. Rising deathcore heavyweights Bodysnatcher, straight out of Melbourne, FL, have been grinding it out in the depths of the Floridian underground for a decade now, and burst onto the scene with 6 tracks of pure, unbridled aggressiveness with their new EP, Vile Conduct.
Opener “Infested” already sets the mood right off the get-go with a sample that basically encapsulates the whole feeling of this EP: “what if my problem is not that I don’t understand people, but that I don’t like them?” Sonically, Vile Conduct is kind of close to that phrase, some pissed-off deathcore that doesn’t strive to reinvent the wheel, but is incredibly well-executed and the perfect soundtrack to punch people in the face to. The group of 3 Kyles, 1 Chris (Kyle Medina on vocals, Kyle Carter on guitar, Kyle Shope on bass and Chris Whited on drums) do not hold back at all, throwing a barrage of chuggy riffs, nasty breakdowns, punchy drums and incredibly aggressive vocals. “Severed” slows things down slightly and features a wide range of tasty drum fills.
Single “Human Disdain” continues in the same vein, being able to be good enough to stand alone perfectly fine, but also acting as a great album track. Adding an injection of story into this showcase of foul behaviour, “Confession” details, believe it or not, a confession. In this intermission, a man whose identity is kept hidden reports the sale and distribution of narcotics, “the big stuff” out of Naples, Florida. Barely giving listeners a second to breathe, “Murder8” (which features vocals from the always incredibly charismatic and insanely skilled Hatebreed man himself, Jamey Jasta) picks the pace right back up returning to the breakdowns and crazy riffs. It should be no surprise at all that Jasta’s voice perfectly compliments that of Kyle Medina, with both showcasing a great deal of chemistry and comfort.
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“Say Goodbye”, the cathartic closer to the EP, is, in my opinion, the highlight of Vile Conduct. Not only does it showcase a different side of Bodysnatcher, an almost depressive black metal-like intro (there’s an idea for their next album…) and has one of the nastiest breakdowns of the whole project at the end. While modern Bodysnatcher doesn’t really dabble in all of the more melancholic side of deathcore that has been having a bit of a resurgence as of late, it is refreshing to hear after so many pummelling “ran kan kan” riffs.
All in all, Vile Conduct is one of those EPs that is short, simple and straight to the point. To reiterate what I said in the first paragraph, it isn’t revolutionary, but takes what has been established in deathcore these last few years and carries it forward, adding a unique dose of heaviness into the mix. It is just pure brutality. One kick to the head after another. For sure worth a listen.
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Vile Conduct is released 3rd September.
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Header image by Toddi Babu.
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