Those New York Death Metallers SICKBAY are back again. But this time they have dropped their newest (and first) release of 2022 in the form of their 4 track EP "Brutal Existence". Off of the back of their stellar previous album "Death's Cold Grip" I am really looking forward to this one. The artwork for the EP is explosive! And I am sure that it would fit in anyone's library superbly.

Opening the release is "Die". Short and sweet title, it gets the point across and musically it certainly lives up to that too. The track erupts to life, full of aggression and intensity. Whilst it may not necessarily be the most up tempo Death Metal I have heard before, it certainly has its own unique appeal. With some more Doomy riffs, dense and crushing riffs bellow through my headphones. It is contemporary but it is also great to see a band making their own stamp on such a saturated genre.

"Fueled By Hatred" continues the onslaught of impossibly heavy tracking. The lumbering and weighted riffs continue to trudge along. Interspersed with little flourishes of energy. Instrumental articulations that just lighten the music ever so slightly, and for long enough to reinvigorate the listener. I can see this track being played in a dark and misty venue, with the crowd al headbanging in unison to its relentless pounding rhythm.

"Stench Of Death", doesn't break from the mould and just delivers another great track. The seemingly impenetrable wall of music offering a near constant barrage of ear shattering Metal that I simply cannot get enough of right now. Closing out the EP is "Aggressive Betrayer" and as the shortest track, maybe partially by its name as well, I was expecting a much more high tempo track to close out the release kicking and screaming all the way to its death. But this was not the case and as has been the formulae throughout, we see this intense and deliberate course of music that just continues to batter us into submission.

Overall, this is a great release and one that SICKBAY should be incredibly proud of producing and releasing. It is a great example of what they are capable of and I am certainly looking forward to seeing more of them in the future.