EP REVIEW: Nothing More Wretched – Beyond Extinction

What a couple of years it’s been for Essex death metallers BEYOND EXTINCTION. Despite only one of the quartet being born before the millennium, they’re keeping up with bands more than twice their age; not without reason, of course. 2021’s debut EP The Fatal Flaws Of Humankind was widely praised by fans and critics alike, the band following this up by putting the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Festival to the sword that very summer. Plenty of touring with the likes of OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME and RED METHOD has happened since then and now, on Friday March 17th, the band’s sophomore EP is coming into the world – entitled Nothing More Wretched, it’s another self-release from the group.

At this relatively early stage in their career, some would see the bar for BEYOND EXTINCTION as little more than consolidating their sound and position, Nothing More Wretched building on their debut release yet allowing more room for them to grow and push boundaries as they progress towards – potentially – a first full-length release. Clearly though, none of those people are in the band’s inner circle; this is a far superior EP to the first, and that was just as impressive. The opening Warmth Of The Empty Light sees disembodied voices float around between speakers, menacing and cold, before The Subjugator opens with a bone-rattling low growl from frontman Jasper Harmer and develops into a meaty, crushing number that almost falls completely into deathcore territory; the breakdown at the end isn’t half shabby either.

One of the standout points from The Fatal Flaws…was BEYOND EXTINCTION‘s ability to combine their more extreme sound with a couple of nu-metal traits, specifically the bounce that can be generated from the guitars and bass; the title track does this brilliantly, Jude Bennett and Zack Scott locking in tighter than the jam jar left at the back of your cupboard for a few months. As for drummer Niall Ali, he shines brightly on following track Gravedigger, which sees arguably one of the most filthy – and yet enjoyable – tropes of this brand of music; the one hit of the china cymbal before the breakdown comes in to crush better than an empty aluminium can between the sole of a hobnailed boot and concrete. Closing the EP are the chug of Eyes Of God Look Down Upon Me and the finger-waggling blast beats of Plague Monarch; they’re both moulded in a similar fashion to the previous tracks, but they’re done with such expertise that you can’t help but think ‘God, HOW are they all around the age of 20?!’

For a band so young, it’s crazy just how good BEYOND EXTINCTION already are – Nothing More Wretched has already pushed their bar to a near stratospheric level. However, if there’s one up-and-coming act who could clear that standard, this lot would be a sure-fire wager. Greater things are most definitely to come.

Rating: 8/10

Nothing More Wretched is out now via self-release.

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