Dig Two Graves
Deathwish
(Dig Two Graves)

Progressive central New Jersey metalcore outfit Dig Two Graves blasts forth with their new EP Deathwish. What singer Mike Reisser, guitarist Josh Brewer, bassist Jesse Agins, and drummer Kenny Meeks present with these six tracks are rather brash, loud, and fast little gems of a stripe to assault your ears and damage your sensibilities, all in the best way.

“As Above,” gets us going with some trilling and gated snare with plinky keys in the mix, something we will hear yet again across this EP. It’s a nice spooky setup. The aptly titled “Track 2,” sees the guys lock-step round a distinctive (and fast) Brewer riff and the first real taste of the scrowl (scream and growl) that Reisser will deliver throughout. The staccato vibe that follows and then the “normal” vocals (some actual singing) brings this one round to full brilliance.

The title track is pretty much set and locked in that papery-thin snare drum sound, blistering attack tempo and Reisser’s scrowl.

The over-driven piano and plinky chimes with strings that begin the beguiling “So Below,” give in to quite the chunky riffery from Brewer, Agins, and Meeks, the keys swirling around them all as Reisser attempts to puke up through it all. It makes for a startling ending track to the EP with some extra soft female vocals thrown in, stops and starts with announcement voice-overs and the full drop out of everything save for that female voice and plunky keys. The fantastic melody that rises anthem-like at the end of the tune really sows it up as the best song of the half dozen for me, by far.