From their record label's website, "One of Belgium's most storied contemporary hardcore bands, BEAR's rise to infamy has been propelled by their ferocious live show and alchemical combination of metallic hardcore chaos and hook-laden melodies. Destruction has always been an integral part of the band's live ethos, from the sonic obliteration of squat venues and 1,000 cap. concert halls to physically smashing their instruments to pieces on stage every night in a visceral performance that has to be seen to be believed. Now, having cheated death, the band are unafraid to claw at the places where it hurts the most…beware the BEAR. Their newest EP, presented here, has five songs. "Empty Markers" is first, and it's fast-moving, furious, and dangerous, and the music moves with a Punk/Hardcore edge. There is some melody in the clean vocals in the chorus, but it's obvious that this music is designed to bruise you.

"Lacerate" enters more cautiously, and the low and slow sound has punishing riff accents and thudding bass notes. Again, there are melodies, but they don't connect well with the key…I have to wonder if this dissonance is purposeful. After all, we are listening to Hardcore. "The Smile" has some rattling Djent effects in the riff, and you can hear a distinct cadence to the vocals, a feature of the genre for sure. They focus on heavy-ing the bottom end, so it feels thick and rich, and man does it. The title track drives like a massive diesel truck. When the engine kicks over, a thick billow of black smoke is sent into the sky. Listen to the structure and vocal style in the chorus, and you will hear GOJIRA. Those bass notes are used frequently as well, and it's like adding concrete into a hole…it hardens.

"Metastatic" is the final cut, and more meaty bass notes drive the song right off the cliff and into the abyss. It's dark, aggressive, and rageful. The mid-section also features a nifty and mysterious instrumental passage, and I find myself hooked by it. Overall, I enjoyed the album and it was excellent. You can feel, not just hear, the energy and intensity of the performance in each song, and in that regard, it's as if the band were performing live, not writing separate track in a studio. One can see why BEAR is adored by so many.