Okay, so we guess the elephant in the room when it comes to modern Metalcore maven Showing Teeth is this: Do they live up to the hype? As a reviewer going in fairly blind to the online chatter regarding ST, we’ve gotta say “Hells yes!” Debut EP A Fate Worse Than Loneliness is a promising collection of tracks offering a diverse range of sound over a short period of time and an impressive start for the relatively young outfit.
“Bad Exchanges” is a slow build that crescendos into chaos that could be called Nu-Metalcore with the way it mixes the primal ferocity of Slipknot’s earlier works with the technical proficiency and Djent leanings of Meshuggah with “Labyrinth” following with a bombastic blast of noise led by ST’s shrieks until an almost angelic chorus descends and completely changes the overall tone.
“Make It Out” offers a different flavor, pausing the pummeling briefly in favor of a (mostly) straight up Metalcore anthem that still yields a killer Vocal cadence alongside these soaring guitars while “Rip”, um, rips? What?!? It does! Built off a bestial wall of riffs and beats, this one is almost Doom incarnate if it wasn’t for the shredical (Not a word) mini-breakdowns between each dirge. “Shallow Grave” is a perfect melding of all the styles that Showing Teeth has made their own so far as closer “Paradigm” bleeds out of instrumental “A&Ox1” with a fresh perspective, pushing Pop boundaries with the way Showing Teeth delivers that verse/chorus/verse through a cathartic croon.
A Fate Worse Than Loneliness is out on September 4th through Spinefarm Records and you can pre-order/pre-save your copy now by heading here. For more from Showing Teeth, including where to catch the full band on the upcoming Sold Out PRESIDENT headline run in which they’ll be the main support (And hits Boston’s Big Night Live on September 13th), head over to the interwebs and the band socials located here, here or here.