Review Summary: 2007 deathcore, reanimated and weaponized for 2025.
There’s something deeply satisfying about a band that knows exactly who they are. Mauled’s self-titled EP isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s a nostalgic love letter to the MySpace-era deathcore scene at its most ignorant, unpretentious, and gloriously caveman: six tracks, nineteen minutes, and zero regard for subtlety.
It delivers everything fans of mid-2000s deathcore worship could ask for. Picture The Cleansing-era Suicide Silence but amped up with pig squeals, gutturals, crushing slam riffs, and bass drops that rattle like a blown subwoofer in the back of a Honda Civic. A highlight are the vocals, some of the most intense, piercing high screams I’ve heard in ages, slicing cleanly through the chaos with razor-sharp precision.
The production strikes the perfect balance, raw and gritty enough to capture the spirit of early deathcore, yet polished enough to avoid sounding like it was recorded through the neighbor’s bathroom wall.
If you’re into deathcore but tired of the endless wave of blackened and symphonic deathcore trends, this EP will feel like a breath of fresh air. Mauled’s self-titled is a relentless, no-nonsense return to deathcore’s primal roots that absolutely rips. While it won’t convert skeptics or change the minds of critics, fans of the genre craving raw, unapologetic aggression will find plenty to sink their teeth into.
