NIHILANTH

A twisted, riff-driven abomination from the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, NIHILANTH are one of the most exciting new metal bands to emerge from the UK in years. Formed in 2022, they have skillfully coined a new strain of barbarous, groovy extremity that borrows liberally from the likes of (early) GOJIRA, MESHUGGAH and artful, non-conformist deathcore, while still delivering a big, choking hit of full-bore heavy fucking metal. "Detritus Of Ruin" is their first major statement: a five-track EP that lays down their blueprint with maximum aggression and absolutely no fucks given.

Recent single and fearsome opener "Ruin" gives the game away with a vicious flourish. Churning, angular riffs and caustic, gutsy vocals collide, as the quintet's warped take on modern extreme metal instantly slips into a perverse but compelling groove. Next, "The Emergent Truth" and "Fangs" crank up the brutality, with feral bursts of speed and grotesque breakdowns, as dissonance and discord are mangled to fit in with a ruthlessly tight and tumultuous rhythm section. Simultaneously sludgy and precise, these songs are aimed squarely at the pit, with math-metal complexity kept to a manageable but substantial minimum. "Fractured" is the most atmospheric, measured song here, with shades of metalcore at its most monstrous and uncompromising, and a sense of frantic urgency emerging from the constant, shapeshifting riffs and scurrilous detours into something slower and more sinister. Finally, "Don't Pray For Me" is spiteful and explosive, like a kamikaze sprint through a minefield, with jaw-shattering, staccato riffing and a mid-song descent into eeriness that is merely a launchpad for more abhorrent musical violence.

NIHILANTH may be a young band, but they have their shit sorted already. "Detritus Of Ruin" is beyond promising, oozes confidence and intelligence, and sounds like the start of something gloriously destructive and, more importantly, fiercely original. Get involved now, before everyone else goes apeshit over it.