“Seething dysphoria leaking out of my skin.”
Erupting from the latest wave of UK hardcore, Smother have cemented themselves as Stoke’s go-to premier act. Relentless in intensity and groove, their 2024 release GARDEN2GRAVE delivered three outstanding tracks of crushing, groove-laden hardcore that showed little mercy. Within this short time, they’ve cemented a strong, enduring reputation through tireless touring across the UK, sharing stages with fellow hardcore outfits like Witherhorde and Demeanour, both of whom appear on THE SUICIDE OF HEAVEN, Smother’s new four-track EP that sees the group double down on their mission to deliver hardcore packed with a heavy dose of beatdown.
“SCATTERED PETALS, GRASPING HANDS” wastes no time in this, thrusting the listener headfirst into a harsh, angular assault of downtuned guitars ringing out atop a visceral vocal delivery. Wasting absolutely no time in showing us what they’re made of, this track is a culmination of everything that the band has become synonymous with in a live setting. Crushing heaviness, dance breaks, slow, down-tuned sludgy moments, all then rounded out with smoothly integrated guest parts from Demeanour and Rozemary’s Izabel Lavin, it’s a perfect introduction to Smother’s newer, more adventurous, (and refined) sound.
“PERVERSIONS OF THE FLESH” then raises the bar even higher, with standout drumming shifting through multiple tempos before culminating in an absolutely devastating breakdown in the final 30 seconds. Groovy guitars and relentless chugs accompany this throughout, stripping things back to a more typical style, but one that they pull off oh so well. An eerie interlude aptly titled “DYSPHORIA [INTERLUDE]” paves the way for “PRECIOUS THINGS,” which is easily the most punishing cut on THE SUICIDE OF HEAVEN. Packed with multiple mosh-ready breakdowns and a brutal vocal feature from Witherhorde’s Ted Goulden that encroaches on deathcore territory during the track’s closing moments, this closer punctuates the EP perfectly. Just a taste of what Smother is capable of, THE SUICIDE OF HEAVEN may be short, but it is oh so sweet.
If you’ve been following Smother over the past couple of years, the success of THE SUICIDE OF HEAVEN will hardly come as a shock. Between their ferocious live shows and a concise yet more-than-capable run of well-produced, crushing EPs, there’s little room for disappointment here. An LP may very well be on the horizon, but for now, GARDEN2GRAVE and THE SUICIDE OF HEAVEN offer more than enough incentive to dive in, and, more importantly, catch them live along with their most stalwart of peers in the UK hardcore scene.
8/10
The Suicide of Heaven releases this Friday (February 13th) via independent release, and you can catch the band playing the EP in full the following day at Riff Factory.