Making a song heavy isn't just about how low the notes are, how much distortion there is or how intense the barrage is. There's a different, more pristine kind of heavy that's much harder to achieve, distinct in how they invent creative moments, smart use of space and contrast, alongside powerful sound design and memorable writing. Slaughterhouse is the first song in a long while to be refreshingly heavy, and oh boy do I want to talk about it.
After falling in love with Knocked Loose and their latest EP A Tear In The Fabric Of Life, and already being in love with Motionless In White since Disguise and Timebomb, this collaboration already had so much potential for being one of my favourites of all time. I couldn't help but get even more excited seeing the band tease Chris' breakdown callout on Instagram before the single release, and as much as I try not to, my hopes were way high. Spoiler alert, they absolutely delivered.
Literally the moment you enter the soundscape, you're greeted with Bryan's iconic screams aimed straight at your face, with the chunkage trailing right behind it. The guitarwork immediately reeks of hardcore and specifically the Knocked Loose brand of hardcore, with only bits of Motionless In White left in the riffage. The dissonance and anger I love from Knocked Loose sounds even better in this electronic variety.
The screams are raw as hell, possibly some of the most brutal in their entire discography. Not to mention, the vocal dynamic between Chris and Bryan is a breath of fresh air for heavy. The verses are ruthless and the pre-chorus feels truly vicious, especially the second time around. Bryan's verse going straight into a fiendish "Uegh" is a moment to remember.
The breakdown slaps, period. The callout is even nastier than the warmup tease on Instagram, and the zero barrage is chunky as hell. The lyrics relentlessly serve pounds of anger and your neck is in danger from the headbanging.
I absolutely lost my mind at "eye for an eye". It's such a primal, guttural scream and it couldn't have been emphasised more by the instrumental dropout for that very moment. I couldn't believe anyone could make that kind of scream, and the truth is I still have no idea who screams that line. It sounded like Chris, but the lyric video says it's Bryan. Yet, the Genius annotation for this line references an Instagram comment from Chris saying that the producer screamed that line. Regardless, it's a highlight of the song, perfectly designed for maximum impact.
The final breakdown is complete Knocked Loose territory. Bryan leads us into the warzone with one of the most well executed buildups I've heard in a while, with dissonant feedback to boot. The breakdown riff feels like it came straight out of a Knocked Loose song, and the mosh pit in my mind is absolutely on fire. Then they had to go a step further and do the classic lower-and-slower second round. Chris drops more guttural screams to pair nicely with the absolute sludge of hellfire the final 22 seconds are (excluding the revolting sound effect at the end).
This song has so much intensity to it but the thing I love the most is how well it captures our attention and design moments to captivate the listener throughout the song. It's a heavy banger for sure, but the stank face doesn't come from pure shock value, rather from well-placed moments and intelligent creative choices. Not to mention, there couldn't have been a more perfect choice of guest vocalist than Bryan Garris, his signature vocal style not only stands out but has such a raw edge of harshness few can match. No doubt the most unique song off of Scoring The End Of The World.
This is the perfect outcome of world's colliding. One of the best of metalcore weaving minds with one of the forefront of hardcore, flipping all the switches correctly to produce one of the most earthshaking release of the year. While I don't promote violence, it does make you feel like breaking shit a little bit, and if you have any pent up anger from the state of the world, (and most of you should), this song definitely resonates with the listeners. That aside, this song is a giant win for the metalcore scene, the hardcore scene, and more importantly, me. This song will be on repeat for a while and I will be a happy man.
Rating: 5/5