Review Summary: i don't know what "myspace deathcore" is
Killing Of A Sacred Deer are a powerhouse of Western Canadian hardcore. Born as the niche passion project of Serration drummer Colter James, and joined by members of World of Pleasure, Mortality Rate, and—most surprisingly—Jordan Chase of Secret & Whisper, the band have quietly cooked up an impressive debut offering of spilled guts and metallurgic torture. Killing Of A Sacred Deer draw from the well of 2000s and early aughts death and metallic hardcore, but the decidedly crisp and modern production upscales their onslaught of drop tuned riffage and meathead breakdowns into stunning 4K resolution. Don’t fret though, there is still plenty of bite and barbed wire in this mix. The amount of attention poured into fine-tuning the guitar and drum tones alone exudes an air of nerdy audio engineer obsessiveness—as if the band’s technical ability doesn’t already speak for itself, the stellar tones are just the cherry on top. The drum work is especially a huge highlight here, always keeping me on the edge of my seat with wildly creative transitions and sneaky flourishes that seem to trigger visible exclamation marks above my head. You’ll know what I mean before you even get 10 seconds into the opening track.
Despite the brutish nature of these songs, they are nothing if not tasteful. Even when indulging in numerous vocal features, or a sweet helping of brutal death metal tropes (like the classic folgers tin snare, or the gory dismemberment noises and horror film screams on third track “Mangled Flesh Cathedral”), the band keeps their hyper-aggression on a tight leash as they channel their hardcore roots into creating a collection of short fused explosives for the apocalypse. Seven tracks in under fifteen minutes feels like the perfect runtime for a project like this, and with the centerpiece of the EP “Dried Flowers Bathed in Viscera” acting like an atmospheric moment of respite, the listening experience ends up feeling diverse and well rounded enough to encourage repeat listens. The band practically taunts you into looping things back by making the final track a 54 second mosh cannon titled "Intro". If you’re not a fan of the first Suicide Silence record, then this probably won’t be for you, but if you’re looking for a new deathcore release that nods to it’s predecessors while incorporating a swath of fresh influences, then I encourage you to give Killing Of A Sacred Deer a moment of your time.
