EP REVIEW: Body Forth – The World Without Us

US progressive death metal quintet THE WORLD WITHOUT US are bringing out their debut release Body Forth, a four-track EP showcasing their take on the genre – one that is particularly popular in their home state of Pennsylvania, where other bands like RIVERS OF NIHIL and BLACK CROWN INITIATE also hail from.

Opening track Eden instantly lends support to the band’s claim to being ‘genre-bending’, by opening with a catchy djent riff and going on to cover ground from the epic power metal of the chorus to a slamming deathcore breakdown. Having already proven himself capable with clean vocals and death growls, singer Mario Paulo Canavarro displays his aptitude at more vocal styles in Cult, this time sounding not dissimilar to Dani Filth’s raspy screams. The song goes through an interesting transition from a MESHUGGAH-like wall-of-sound breakdown, to a spacey prog metal section in the vein of THE CONTORTIONIST.

THE WORLD WITHOUT US mix many influences, and among those there’s a noticeable leaning towards deathcore that goes through all songs. The high concentration of breakdowns and the chromatic riffs typical of the genre tend to blend in with each other and result in some unmemorable moments through the songs. It is no coincidence that Eden – the song which leans the least into that style – is the most cohesive piece on the record.

When it comes to the more dynamic parts of the songs in Body Forth, there is plenty to keep the listener’s interest  – such as the melodic outro of Weeds where the note choice lends the song an almost bluesy sound. Closer Peril has a strong djent-inspired beginning and another powerful chorus with inspired clean singing. While the song dwells on another breakdown in its latter half, the outro layers on some cosmic sounds which add an engaging, if underexplored dimension to the heavy dissonant riff.

With their debut EP, THE WORLD WITHOUT US demonstrate interesting musical ideas, and ear-catching vocals and production. They’ve put themselves on the progressive death metal map as a band with potential, whose development will be interesting to track as they gather experience and continue to hone their songwriting craft.

Rating: 5/10

Body Forth is set for release on July 8th via self-release.

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