Emphasis on the "death" and "deathcore" when it comes to THE FALLEN PROPHETS, the melodic death metal/deathcore band from Cape Town, South Africa, and their latest EP, their second (fourth release overall) and the follow-up to their 2020 full-length, "Relentless Killing Motivation."

Said EP, "No End In Sight" is less than a half hour's worth of pretty well-executed brutality, starting with "Dead But Still Alive." Pieter is a phlegmy, deep-throated, menacing bass roarer (with the occasional shriek), his words barely distinguishable. The "melodic" part of their description is found in the guitars only – there's no real discernible melody anywhere else and the song structure is super loose. Here there's no real verses or chorus, unless you count the mention of the title as a chorus. They are skilled at manipulating rhythm and dynamic, slowing the pace, then picking it up again on a dime. Pieter's guitar solo is agonized; Dylan's drumming is accurate no matter what the tempo changes throw at him. This is pretty standard, CANNIBAL CORPSE-esque fare lyrically ("Vomit rains down on you," "I rip out your spine and show it to you," "I will torture you/And see how much the soul can stick on a rotting maggot-infested human body vessel," etc.), to what end isn't quite clear – except for the desire of the narrator to "end the human race" and perhaps to endure some eternal torment, hence the title.

"Killing The Last Savior" is much more structured, with a simple but memorable guitar riff melody that is sustained throughout as a touchstone. There are several strong groove sections and less playing around with the tempo until the bridge and the end. And there are a few interesting lyrical observations here, like "Death will come to all/To cancel out all the lies/Sinners and believers/You all will die" and "No mercy for the merciless/Blind those who can see/Cut out the tongues of those who can speak/Break the will of the strong," like this is some divine judgment speaking – later, he says, "Trust in my word/And so it shall be." "Man redeems himself/By killing his own beliefs" is another insight to ponder.

"The Beast" starts with another basic guitar melody that gets fleshed out and then repeated again with the last "verse." There's a nice pause between the two sections, almost like it's Act 2 – the music lengthens, the drums are a nice blend between blast beats and a more straightforward rhythm. By this point, it seems Pieter is acting as the personification of "the beast" (and maybe as a malevolent, omnipotent narrator throughout), whether that's the devil or some other divine judgment ("I am the judge/The executioner ... I am the darkness in your dreams/The demon in your nightmare/I am your worst fear." It almost is saying later, too, that religion won't help you because we all meet death in the end ("This cross of burden that's given/Will be buried with your corpse right next to you").

"Believe" starts and ends with a nicely foreboding, evil guitar melody and goes through a wide range of tempos, from a solid crunch in the beginning to a swinging 6/8 groove in the bridge (again I'm using these terms loosely, since the structure here again is pretty freeform). Pieter mentions a "demon of lies" and a "demon of despair," and perhaps this is a call to reject these things – he says, "Worthless entity/You will not breathe through me" and says twice, "Separate your life from me." There's another thoughtful observation in "I am not afraid to die/After all I did not ask to be alive," and he acts as a savior at the end when he says, "I am the one the new race will believe" and "I am the one that will end the suffering." It's pretty fascinating to contemplate who he might be personifying in these songs.

The title track again establishes a foundational guitar melody, but later it swings into a light, almost bouncy section in the "chorus" before getting uber heavy again. The end forays into a stomping, catchy plod that adds blast beats and uses Pieter's guitar feedback as punctuation. It's again not clear who's speaking – "I am your one true fear," "The only purpose you have now/Is to obey me," "You belong to me now," "I will destroy every human being for disobeying me," "Pray for me to end your life" – maybe it's clearer when he says, "I will deliver you from life and send you straight to Hell," or then again, maybe it isn't. The end might change perspectives with "I am still alive/But barely breathing/I still have fight left in me/To end the last human being," like perhaps this entity has been beaten back but isn't dead yet, so to speak.

The bonus track "Deception" has a more apparent structure, the verse is repeated twice (with an ominous, meaty groove inserted after the first one) and there's a definite bridge, but no real chorus. And again the perspective of this malevolent narrator isn't clear, but the ambiguity throughout this brief, punishing set is just fine – it's rather like the voice of judgment ("There's no way in life I will set you free," "The end of you is near/I can smell your fear/My presence will draw you near/Into a deep atmosphere," there's some effective rhyming there).