DEATH RAY VISION

Despite a solid two decades of people abusing the notion in the name of metalcore, there are still few things more likely to make you throw a chair across the room than a devastating blend of hardcore, metal and punk. DEATH RAY VISION need little introduction and even less explanation. Formed by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike d'Antonio, guitarist Pete Cortese and drummer Colin Conway back in 2010, they were initially fronted by SHADOWS FALL's Brian Fair and have released two highly rated but somewhat overlooked studio albums to date.

As becomes clear roughly two seconds into opener "Behead the King", "No Mercy From Electric Eyes" is a big, twitching slab of prime, Massachusetts metalcore, with deep roots and a definite whiff of unfinished business. What becomes clear shortly thereafter is the fact that DEATH RAY VISION have mutated into something far more exciting and adventurous than their scene-defining shared pedigree might imply. Yes, this is ripping modern metal with a hardcore punk streak a mile wide, and yes, many of the trademarks and tropes that became obligatory in a post-KILLSWITCH world are present and correct. But from new frontman Keith Bennett (best known from the excellently named PANZERBASTARD) and his distinctly old-school bark (think Mike Muir via Tommy Victor or possibly Chuck Billy),to the absolute chaos that unfolds on even the most accessible tunes, "No Mercy From Electric Eyes" is measurably smarter and sharper than the average.

When "Behead The King" begins, it ticks all the expected hardcore and modern metal boxes with a haughty flourish, but nothing evolves as expected. From a loping barrage of dark-hearted, SABBATH-tinged grunge to a final flurry of spidery black metal hooks, it's certainly not metalcore as we know it. Next, DEATH RAY VISION fire up their rock 'n' roll engines, casually nailing a perfect blend of motoring riffs and gutter-bound gloom on "In Unholy Water", which provides a groovy build-up to the bug-eyed, foot-to-the-floor yob-core of "From The Rafters" (which slams like HATEBREED, grimly salutes the magic of SLAYER and brings the ceiling down within an impressive two-and-a-half minutes). Three songs in and each one has been entirely different, and yet entirely bound by the feral spirit of a scene that started 25 long years ago. Rather than sounding like veterans having some fun, DEATH RAY VISION sound utterly vital.

They maintain the intensity to the bitter end, too. You may take your pick from the '80s metal grind-up of "Reaper", the 49-second fuck-you of "Premature Evisceration", the euphoric punk sprint-to-the-finish of "O Great Destroyer" or the ARMORED SAINT-like melodic tirade of "Crawl Forth The Cowards" for most instant standout, but really everything here connects like an elbow to the eyeball. Bring on the bruises.