From Bandcamp, “CROWN MAGNETAR are out for blood—and buckets of it. The fact this proclamation is being made for new EP, “Punishment,” just over a year since dropping 2023’s crushing Everything Bleeds—could be a shock, though it makes sense upon further examination. That Punishment beats the blood out of the fresh and deep wounds in equal measure suggests the band spent their time at Dream Awake Audio packing their instruments, both literal and decidedly more lethal, full of those very same blades.” The album has four songs, and “Barbed Wire Noose” is first. As expected, it is very dark and brutal, and nearly devoid of melody. The drums roll forward impossibly fast, the vocals are cadenced, and the riffs punishing. It is both dense, and as thick as morning fog. “Nailed the Fuck Down” is another brutal offering, and even thicker, if that is possible. It’s like trying to swim in quicksand. This time, there are screams mixed in with the gutturals, and the entire song sounds like the wheels are about to bust off the bus, but somehow, they maintain control.

“Bringer of Dead Light” goes even lower, and the drums and guitars continue to reign blows down on your head, even through you are already down for the count. “Decapitation Ritual” closes the album, and the heavy, staccato attack is worse than being struck with a thousand arrows. There is also a breakdown that is deadly, and the drums sound like a swarm of angry bees. Overall, this was one of the most punishing Deathcore EPs that I have ever heard. The band took what was done before them, multiplied it by four, and shoved it down your throat like bitter medicine, and it burned all the way down to your stomach.