Album review: To The Grave – Everyone’s A Murderer

Australian deathcore might have produced its heaviest export yet in To The Grave. As well as being comfortably one of the most brutal bands in their native land's underground, they're bringing their cause to the fore and standing up for the rights of the voiceless: the animals of this planet. The vegan activists are unashamedly channelling their anger and disbelief at society's neglect of other beings into their brutally crafted fourth album, Everyone’s A Murderer.

From the outset, the call to arms nature of Set Yourself On Fire (In Public) is an all-senses assault with blastbeats, crunching riffs and a punishing dose of extreme heaviness. Singer Dane Evans is channelling his innermost darkness to deliver almost excruciating vocals, ironically, squealing like a pig in places. But that’s the point: they want us to almost feel the pain of animals that are killed for our pleasure.

If you’re wondering what they really think about our incessant need to over-produce and eat meat, look no further than Burn Your Local Butcher. A dank-sounding track, almost grimy in nature, it's got a riff that matches its furious subject matter. All this before a revolution is called with Vegan Day Of Violence, its frenetic, invasive nature making you want to rock up to your nearest Bernard Matthews farm and release the turkeys.

Closing number Dead Wrong, meanwhile – featuring Empty Cages vocalist Michael Kearney - was made to take you out of your comfort zone. It’s a direct attack on how normalised it is to eat flesh of another living creature, backed by sounds made to destroy these norms.

To The Grave share their beliefs by slapping you round the face with a dose of brutally charged deathcore. Whilst it might not be groundbreaking, you have to respect how unafraid they are to talk about something that can be an uncomfortable conversation.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Thy Art Is Murder, Oceano, Parkway Drive