Cursed Earth "Cycles Of Grief"

It's clear that the stakes are getting higher and higher and that bands aren't going to be able to get away with mediocre efforts anymore to get attention. For an independent band to come out swinging as convincingly as Cursed Earth comes tumbling down the mountain is no simple feat. With their culmination of bone crunching crispy guitars, thunderous pummeling of the drums captured with clear compression, and the unrelenting wail of the vocal performance not ripping apart the mic, Cursed Earth have exceeded all expectations with their short, but punctual EP.  This is highly comparable to Barrier's execution on their short EPs before they splashed the scene with their underwhelming Eventide. This one sits beside some of the best efforts to capture ruthless metallic hardcore, and should get the attention of aspiring labels to fatten up their rosters with quality talent.