EP REVIEW: Disquisition On An Execution – The Last Ten Seconds Of Life

Life comes at you fast. Back in January THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE released their eponymous sixth full-length album and everything seemed to be going well. Then three months later the entire band, except for one guitarist, exited the band with little to no explanation. Now, for most bands this would seem like a death sentence. However, seven months on the band are back with a fresh line-up and have come armed with an extended play that could either be their redemption, or a failed attempt at getting up before the ten-count. With Disquisition On An Execution, it’s fight or flight time.

With the opening track Dreams Of Extermination, the band seem to have stepped everything up creatively. Orchestral vocals give the opening a grandiose feel before the band unleash a maelstrom of ferocious riffs and pulverising rhythmic shifts. The band members clearly know that they need to make an immediate impression with this release in order to silence the doubters and put their fans’ minds at ease about the future of the band and they are certainly showing here that they are not going down without a fight. Vocalist Tyler Beam shows off his impressive range and annunciation early, shifting from demonic guttural growls to high-pitched banshee screams seamlessly whilst maintaining a superb amount of clarity as he delivers his lyrics with an immense amount of energy.

The contrasting writing styles across these four tracks is a real testament to the collective song-writing talents of the members. As an example, the use of intricate, ferocious riffs during Retribution from guitarist and sole-remaining founding member Wyatt McLaughlin is a testament to the band’s death metal influences. However, they are quickly followed by an ethereal choir to bridge the song before once again diving headfirst into a cavalcade of complex extreme metal.

Anyone who was concerned about a dip in the quality of song-writing with the mass exodus of members should very well have their mind put at ease by this point, but if they needed any further convincing the closing track Annihilation Phenomena should cement things. This is the sound of a band rising from the dead and staking their claim as one of the frontrunners in the deathcore scene. The (slight) slower pace of the track makes everything feel bigger and the interesting use of dynamics shows an understanding of structure and a creative maturity that many other bands fail to comprehend. The eerie bridge of the song adds a whole other layer to the band’s sound and the harshly spoken vocals from Beam are a welcome addition to the EP at this stage, giving proceedings an evil feel and a greater sense of depth in a scene that can sometimes feel very repetitive and bland.

If you were worried about THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE back in the spring, you can rest assured that they are in fine fettle and look ready to continue their ascension going into 2023.

Rating: 8/10

Disquisition On An Execution is set for release on November 25th via Unique Leader Records.

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