‘Brutal occupation, violent competition, Power at all costs, silence opposition, No peace in our time, no peace on our minds, No final conflict, war rages until the end of time’ (Brutal Occupation)

Hot on the heels of last year’s debut full-length, Meat Locker, Portland’s Alienator are back with a new four track EP.  And as you would expect, each of the staples that make them such an uncompromising treat are firmly in place.  Bruising breakdowns, shrieking divebombs, fleeting solos, and burly backing vocals are all welded together with a brutal ferocity.  If anything, the gutturally roared vocals have taken an even more nihilistic turn – the glimmers of hope that previously flickered seemed to have been lost, submerged by an all-pervasive contempt.

The Truth, with its cascading metallic leads, and the galloping Eaten Alive get things underway in no uncertain terms.  However, the intensity manages to step up another gear on the flip side.  Never Enough seethes around a venomous central riff before barrelling towards its stomping finale, while the title track burns with a choppy fury and Middle Eastern tinged solos.