I found out about ten56. through Nik Nocturnal (who is great by the way), and I remember him describing this band as pissedcore, and there truly is no better descriptor than that. This compact six-song EP is packed full of unbridaled rage, dark and borderline disturbing. Yet, the heaviness and ruthlessness is unlike no other and it is such a good listen.
Exit Bag is one of the wildest intro songs on any metal record ever. I literally have no idea how half of the sounds are made on the guitar, but it is so sonically brutal and completely absurd in the best way. The chugs are insanely low, the tone is unreal and the scratches are everywhere. The song is so interestingly structured, reminiscent of trap metal and a bit of metalcore. The breakdown is downright ridiculous, there is nothing I can really say other than "what the fuck". The riff literally has a meow in it. It's just pure heavy, this song.
Diazepam and Shitspitter are kind of the two least crazy songs (relatively) on the EP. They have a more traditional metalcore structure and have less gimmicks going on, but they are still great songs on their own and fit well into the EP. With mostly low chugs and screams, it just doesn't stand out as much. Granted, I do really like the final breakdown on Shitspitter, not because of the surprise breakdown, but the line delivery is somehow really satisfying.
Sick Dog was the first song I heard from this EP, when it was released as a single. It was really interesting with it's trap metal style, and the slower pace which I didn't really love at first made a lot more sense as a pitstop in the EP. Outside of that, the obvious great thing about this song is the glitch breakdown, which is one of the coolest things I've seen any band do for a breakdown. I always love a good variety breakdown, but the added electronic effects just makes it even better.
Boy is peak pissedcore. That riff is going down in history, it feels like the guitar is screaming as much as the vocalist is. The lyrics are downright disturbing, the instrumental is disgustingly brutal, the breakdown keeps going, they do it like three times. The calm trap section at the end almost feels mandatory to even out the absolute rage barely contained in the rest of the song.
Kimo feels like a record holder of some sort, if there was a world record for lowest possible metal song. I have to commend them for the fact that despite the main focus of the song being the last section where they go lower and lower until they start digging below Satan's basement, the rest of the song has its merits and is still insanely heavy. But yes, that final breakdown is devilish, the buildup to it feels like it came straight out of a mental asylum, the lyrics probably do, and the vocals and guitars are starting to go out of hearing range. I want to think that this song is what it feels like to lose your mind to the devil, or some lovecraftian horror, except it's made by humans and that's probably concerning. In fact, the whole EP's lyrics are kinda disturbing and maybe a therapist (or two) should get involved, but when it comes to heavy modern metal, it's great.
Downer Part.1 is one of the refreshingly heaviest records in a long while, and the band is definitely going places. I do hope they continue to innovate, because I'd hate for them to start putting out songs that are nearer to the standard of Diazepam and Shitspitter, songs that are just heavy for the sake of it and aren't as memorable. I was slightly disappointed by Yenta, I'll admit. I'm sure they'll be able to shock us still, this band is full of potential in making pissedcore a thing, and they definitely have the musicianship in their hands. As it stands, this EP is ridiculous.
Rating: 8/10