AUTOMATIC DEATH PROTOCOL

THE ULTIMATE METAL CHALLENGE - Deathcore

Deathcore is perhaps one of the most obtuse and, I suppose, “historic” metal genres that’s gone through a lot of growth for the 20 or so years it's been around. Between this new wave of “Blackened Deathcore” popularized by bands like Lorna Shore, MySpace-era bands such as Suicide Silence, and revival bands, such as, well, PSYCHO-FRAME. I wanted to choose a release that could best represent most of the popular forms of deathcore, and I feel that AUTOMATIC DEATH PROTOCOL does the job quite nicely. It’s an EP that’s been in my rotation since it dropped last December, because, put simply, THIS SHIT’S HARD. This revives the intensity and stupid snare sound of old school deathcore and combines it with slightly more abstract song structures and more refined production seen on the newer wave of deathcore. This is pretty much the premiere deathcore experience to me. Unintelligent and needlessly loud, with lyrics that are pretty much meaningless tough guy shit, what’s not to love?

The vocals on this EP are fantastic, and some of my favorites in extreme metal. The two vocalists, one having much more traditional deathcore yelling and the other having higher screams similar to Suicide Silence’s Mitch Lucker. Both play off each other excellently, and I love the second guy’s high screams, they make for some raw, catchy vocals that boost the energy higher on the record’s more chaotic moments. However, we have even more to talk about on the vocal front, because this album has 4 guest vocalists. That’s right, 4 out of the 6 tracks on this thing have guest features, and they range from pretty good to WHATTTT? The obvious standout when listening is Tyler Mullin from Scarab on STRAIGHTJACKET AFTERBIRTH, and he pretty much owns one of the best moments on the album. He has such a uniquely visceral vocal style that I’ve never heard anything even remotely similar to, and it puts the other features to shame. That’s not to dismiss the others, though, I particularly enjoy Vomit Forth’s Don Campan on CRAWLSPACE MESSIAH, especially at the end of the song. Honestly, though, besides the two mentioned, the others don’t add much to the song’s they’re on? Like, it was difficult for me to even tell when they came onto the track because most of them have the same kind of death metal growl. Even so, they fit the EP well, so I don’t have much room to complain.

AUTOMATIC DEATH PROTOCOL definitely makes you hear the “death” in “deathcore”, because this EP’s more frantic, death metal-infused passages are among its best. Yes, of course the ignorant breakdowns present throughout the whole thing are spectacular and the best moments of the album, but man, stuff like the opening to STRAIGHTJACKET AFTERBIRTH, the entirety of BONE CROWN DEFORMITY, or the complex tremolo riffing on THE PLOT TO NUKE THE MIDWEST are some of my favorite moments on the EP because they feel so distinct amongst a lot of modern deathcore, which can sometimes be too focused on the “core.” This EP has that in spades, don’t get me wrong. I literally cannot pick a single one because literally every song has a uniquely memorable, brutal breakdown to their name, so I’ll just do a speed round of each one. (Deep breath) A FURTHER SHOWING OF VIOLENCE does that slowing down of riffs that I love alongside both vocalists screaming, “PACK IT UP WE ARE THE KINGS OF THIS SHIIIIIIIIIIT!” The ridiculous Tyler Mullin feature and riff on STRAIGHTJACKET AFTERBIRTH is FIRE. BONE CROWN DEFORMITY’s slower, more overtly brutal delivery is amazing. CRAWLSPACE MESSIAH is essentially just a 4 minute breakdown, not much more to say. BEATEN BEYOND IDENTIFICATION might be my favorite on the album, I love the punch in the face you get after, “MY MASTERPIECE TO FUCK YOU UP, BEYOND ID!” It's so good. THE PLOT TO NUKE THE MIDWEST has so many mosh worthy riffs I can’t even choose, but I want to point out how this EP ends by having both vocalists screaming, “KIIIILL YOUUUURSEEEEEEELF” in quick succession, which is essentially a summary of the whole experience.

This EP is no nonsense, just pure, stupid violence, and I LOVE IT! It’s such a breath of fresh air that has a surprising amount of depth instrumentally despite being possibly the most straightforward record I review on this whole binge. It’s fire, check it out!

(Also imma start doing song ratings at the end of these for albums without track ratings.)

A FURTHER SHOWING OF VIOLENCE - 92
STRAIGHTJACKET AFTERBIRTH - 95
BONE CROWN DEFORMITY - 90
CRAWLSPACE MESSIAH - 89
BEATEN BEYOND IDENTIFICATION - 98
THE PLOT TO NUKE THE MIDWEST - 98