RelapsePsychotherapy

Adelaide metal band Relapse have been not-so-quietly working away on their debut EP, and the result is an overpowered, genre-bending assault.

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Title track Psychotherapy immediately shows off the crushing production with massive tones driving the atonal, stuttering riffs. Moving in ever-surprising directions, the versatility on show here is impressive. Busted guitar histrionics, slamming riffs, and violent, ranging vocals compete to wild effect.

Second track Agitated comes hard like a math-inflected Stray From The Path. Four-on-the-floor rock and roll rhythms guide the song to a sweaty peak before the band get their dumb on, with bellowing mosh orchestration and throat-sick vocals grunting and shrieking throughout.

Relapse have delivered an incredibly well-produced EP of dense, layered metal with a nascent rock and roll spirit.

The groove-laden riffing and classic guitar shreds of third song Split bring a Sunset Strip-sleaziness to proceedings, and the savage thrash breakouts into the huge, ignorant death march-coda give everything an unpredictable MO.

Walking arpeggio leads and skittish rhythms signal another epic metal workout with Sadistic and the anti-social vocals continue stretching in all sorts of ugly new directions to great effect. Closer Confined comes packed with orchestral leads and filthy groove, a tight and punishing end to a meaty, aggressive album.

Relapse have delivered an incredibly well-produced EP of dense, layered metal with a nascent rock and roll spirit. There are smart ideas at play everywhere here, like a grab-bag of heavy metal rules and tropes all bent and misshapen into this clever bastard child.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Psychotherapy, Agitated, Sadistic
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Avenged Sevenfold, Stray From The Path, Alpha Wolf