Coming from Australia, To The Grave bring their brutal vegan deathcore offering Still to fans worldwide. This EP punches you right in the gut with seven tracks of horror infused mayhem. These tracks were originally recorded during their sessions of making their previous full-length, Everyone’s A Murderer. However, the band thought they didn’t fit the overall feel of that record and decided to release them separately a year later.
I can see why these tracks were slightly off course for the typical TTG songs. The band stretched themselves sonically by diving into new directions on these as opposed to their previous releases. With these anthems, the band is pushing song writing structures, atmospheric changes within the compositions, and production. While some circles feel that deathcore has been overdone or is dead, this outfit makes one beg to differ with this offering. Due to this release, the band has been touring relentlessly with acts like Suffocation, Warbringer, and Skeletal Remains.
I’m unsure if they released this to test the waters to see how fans would take to a possible new direction for the band, but I will say that it works for me. The songs are engaging, brutal, and dynamic. The vocals are insane in these songs, going from pig squeals to guttural lows. There are hints of the core side of deathcore in some of these tracks making me want to start punching the sky and even two-stepping. The standout tracks for me on this EP are “Hunt The Hunters” (great, melodic guitar work in the middle of it), “Show Them The Bodies” (mosh pit classic out of the gate), and “Sawed Off” (creative songwriting and dynamics throughout the song). And to put the cherry on top, the band ends the release with a cover from Cannibal Corpse.
One of the things that sets this release apart from others, is they released a mini movie/collection of music videos called The Herd with the EP. There’s no dialogue in this version of the movie, only the band’s music playing over top of it, but don’t let that make you think it doesn’t have a powerful message. Each song is called out before it starts and could almost be a stand-alone music video for each track. I will warn you that it is pretty brutal, gory, and there are some scenes of animal abuse in slaughterhouses. With that being said, it is about the frustration and sadness about the plight of animals. So, if you have an uneasy stomach, just listen to the music. If you are into that type of horror, then you can also go check out the original film as well with the dialogue.
If punching walls and being squashed in a wall of death sounds like a good time, this EP is for you. Fans of Chelsea Grin, Thy Art Is Murder, and Brand of Sacrifice need this band in their regular rotation.
