Hailing out of Indiana, the underground hardcore group ENEMY OF CREATION released their new EP "Victims Of The Cross" on August 20th 2019. I was pleasantly surprised when listening to the entirety of this 24-minute brutal journey. The EP is firmly rooted in thrash metal but also branches out into elements of hardcore, death metal, and so many more! They mix all these elements creatively and well so that you are always left wanting more.

This is one EP that will become addicting the more you listen to it. The first run through is hard hitting, bone crushing, and downright jarring. The second listen brings out all of the elements that have been blended together. By the third you will find yourself headbanging, if you haven't already. The guitar solos that are integrated throughout the EP are intricate, well placed, and artfully done.

"Paradise is Punishment" begins with a sinister riff that opens up to a heavy hook. Then the song explodes into thrash with descending riffs mixed with eviscerating vocals. This track never loses the heavy drive when transitioning to thrash. In fact, it just becomes heavier throughout the length of the song.

"Victims Of The Cross" begins with a news like sample before tearing right into a bludgeoning death drive. The vocals of the track remain powerful. The background chants but the other members also bring a more prominent weight to the song. Through this brutal force, the guitarist breaks through with a melodic solo that soars above the powerful tones.

"Lies" mixes foreboding chords and strong riffs. This track has a dark sound punctuated by heavy bludgeoning beats. This track does become slightly repetitive with the chorus but is an all-around well-crafted song. The dark chords of the guitar melody shine through making this track pretty interesting.

"Dying Views" is a bone-crushing track that will have you head banging. The transitions of sub-genres are more intricate in this song but still heavily grounded in Thrash Metal. The use of transcending guitar progressions continues to build through the song. I was looking for the track to go into a heavy breakdown towards the end, but unfortunately the track abruptly ends. I feel like there was something missing from this song with all the buildup.

"Buried In Guilt" begins softly with a guitar melody that transitions into a full solo. This track by far, is the most restrained in the EP but does offer a respite from the Thrash. That doesn't last long though as they bring it back to the heavy beats and rhythms. The guitar work on this track is highly emphasized and it should be!

ENEMY OF CREATION has brought us a strong EP with "Victims Of The Cross". This five track EP really shows their art in the modern Metal world but also harkens back to old school Thrash Metal. The mixture of these really brings us some unique music. While some tracks are repetitive, they are still well done. The mixing of the EP could have been more forgiving to the vocals as sometimes they are hard to discern. But all in all it is a well done EP and I'm interested in what they produce next!