The unsettling sacrosanct reminders of desolate sacrilege and unrelenting ambition are but a couple of motifs that fill the airspace to DEAD MAN'S CHEST's newest EP, "Dear God", an eerie and eldritch piece drawing focus to the self and the question of what is sacred. An interesting pairing, the band does well to juxtapose between the conflicts of Man vs. Self and Man vs. God weaving such conflicts into cathartic Hardcore progressions.

Starting off the duplicity is the title track "Dear God", a maddening core laden track grounded in harsh and turbulent string progressions, accentuated drum grooves, and vicious screaming. "United States Of Me" follows immediately patterned by a full band launching straight into the song, one guitar taking lead as the other rings out, a full measure of tacet drums, and then finally an adjoining of all the instruments - sans vocals - that leads in directly to the first verse.

The instruments are well-balanced wherein none feel that they are attempting to fight another to be heard. The guitars are distinct enough from one another to create a surrounding atmosphere, yet similar enough that they don't distract the listener from the full band and blend where they need to; the bass is monstrous and heavily distorted - having it fill in more of the mid-range end makes it difficult to distinguish from the guitars but it does manage to carve its own niche with a tone similar to Peter Steele; the drums are solid with, of course, an emphasis on the lower end having heavy laden kick sections and a booming snare; the vocals are cathartic and reaching capturing the pathos of Bartosz through viscous growls that cut through the music.

With 4 years now passed since their last release, DEAD MAN'S CHEST show that they have not gone quiet with a tease of what's to come contained within "Dear God". The hate filled negativity found within their previous works still lies at the front and center of both tracks. Whilst the EP is more of a tease than anything - clocking in at just under 9 minutes - it is a hint at what's to come and fans of the band will find themselves eager for whatever might yet come their way.