EP REVIEW: extended pain – thrown

New hardcore quartet THROWN from Sweden have announced their arrival with a new five-track EP titled extended pain. Hosting a get together with its two friends angst and self-loathing, extended pain walks a similar line to KNOCKED LOOSE in navigating somewhere between hardcore and metalcore. With such a short runtime, THROWN have attempted a smash and grab on this debut release and though it hits hard, the concussion is over before you know it.

Set in its world of metallic hardcore, this EP features all of the tropes that would’ve come to your mind upon reading those words. It leans more into the hardcore influences but with an incredibly low tone that gives it heft. Using its bursts of hardcore energy followed by metalcore pacing to set up tempo shifts and its big gut punches, these moments do land, but once you’ve heard it once, there isn’t a ton of variation to keep you guessing. 

The formula that these tracks use does become clear after the opening couple of minutes. It’s a shame because the EP starts with some good energy and these drop ins and outs keep it feeling bouncy, but this momentum gets a bit stale once the same trick keeps coming back for more. Another issue with this project’s listenability as a full debut is the track length. With the longest song clocking in at two minutes and 39 seconds, it never really feels like it gets going before you’re onto the next one, then the next one and then it’s all over.

There is something here and the first track grayout was a fun ride until it seemed to end halfway through the actual length. With most of the material here following a similar pattern, it leaves you feeling like there’s still another half of the song to go where it takes some turns instead of taking one lap round the circuit then going home. The material that’s here would be better served on a playlist amongst other bands to break it up, but even with that in mind, making a long-lasting impact in such a short time would still be an issue. It’s not simply that it’s too short, it’s that it doesn’t feel like there’s a full song crammed into each one to give the EP the smash and grab feel, but rather that the tracks have been cut in half. 

Rating: 5/10

extended pain is out now via Arising Empire.

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