“Liquify on a bed of rusted nails.”
External of the ever-enduring ‘MySpace revival’ era currently taking place, one would be hard-pressed to find a foundationally-aligned consistency within the modern deathcore sound. Symphonics and clean vocal integrations have—perhaps justifiably—elicited perpetual discourse from the dichotomous ends of the preference spectrum. At deathcore’s root, such nuance is practically non-existent. Blast beats, pinch harmonics, momentum-complimentary breakdowns and lyricism akin to that of committing atrocities are what made deathcore popular then and what continues to keep it going on an unrelenting warpath. If you’re still on the search for this kind of notionally simplistic brutality and don’t mind it being melded with a crisp layer of modern production, look no further than the dependably barbaric disciples of Crown Magnetar. Hailing from Colorado in 2021, Crown Magnetar have been on a clear mission for four years to paint listeners a musically blood-soaked mosaic. Another fresh coat of ichor is applied with their fifth iteration, Punishment.
Punishment could not be a more befitting and literal title for Crown Magnetar’s newest exhibition. Twelve minutes of decidedly bludgeoning sound compact into an iron-clad hammering that leave virtually no breathing room for the masochistically inclined listener. “Barbed Wire Noose” begins the drubbing with every Crown Magnetar staple imaginable. Guitarist Nick Burnett, bassist Mike Sahm, and drummer Byron London unleash all their rhythmic ferocity alongside vocalist Dan Tucker’s impeccably hellish range. The opening track is as double-bass and chug-heavy as any Crown Magnetar song you have heard before, and that is precisely what has kept adamant subjects returning to indulge in all its misanthropic glory. Everything is to be absorbed from a literal standpoint on Punishment. Indeed, “Barbed Wire Noose” will have you feeling at times that a rust-smothered knot is being violently jerked and tightened around your neck, with your jugular on the cusp of spilling out. And here’s the good news: this campaign of damnation is only just beginning.
A kind tormentor would ensure their victims are given a tightly constructed apparatus to lay down on and receive further walloping. Crown Magnetar ensures such a favor is done on “Nailed the Fuck Down”. If you thought the previous track wasn’t relentless enough, rejoice. Swift musicianship that rivals the speed of a multi-chambered nail gun conceptualizes in a three-minute defilement of your ear drums. To some degree or another, being forcefully hammered down with oxidized metal would likely be less taxing than what Crown Magnetar delivers on the EP’s second song. Yet another reminder to footnote; we are only halfway done with this personal incursion.
“Bringer of Dead Light” is the vocal exposition of Punishment. It’s become quite apparent how delightfully evil Dan Tucker can sound, yet “Bringer of Dead Light” reinforces that notion such that the vocals themselves stand as the song’s heaviest instrument. London, Sahm, and Burnett deserve just as much credit for continued technical brutality. Literally parallel to the track’s title once again, listeners are now at the penultimate juncture of Crown Magnetar’s immorally depraved performance. You had better be ready; the final and most reprobated of blows has yet to be dealt.
What is Punishment’s degraded executioner to do with an exquisitely mangled cadaver at this point of the EP? With only the final track to go, Crown Magnetar has inflicted exponentially more damage upon us than many others do within the confines of an entire album. The ultimate decision is deliciously simple and literal for the fourth and final time of Crown Magnetar’s sonic torture-fest; “Decapitation Ritual”. Glossed in blast beats and breakdowns, the final song of Punishment makes it clear the removal of your cranium is a broodingly slow and bodily fluid-drenched process. Whether the listener is still coherent or not by the time “Decapitation Ritual” commences, this beast of a closer ensures you are anything but by the end of it.
Blissfully torturous and a further showcase of why Crown Magnetar has established a consistent penchant for technical bedlam, Punishment delivers their most tightly constructed and cohesively vile EP to date. For those who long for the days of deathcore ideals and don’t mind a fresh coat of contemporary mixing, Crown Magnetar has provided plenty of sustenance for what is seemingly the umpteenth time. Punishment is a tremendous fifth instalment of Crown Magnetar’s somewhat young careers, and yet another bucket of blood to cover their canvas of destruction and mayhem that solidifies these artists will continue to have profuse inspiration for a long time to come.
9/10
Punishment releases on March 7th through Unique Leader Records, and you can pre-order it here.