EP REVIEW: Sweet Violence – Chaos Reigns

Since CHAOS REIGNS burst onto the music scene in 2022, and with influences including the heavyweight powerhouses of bands like THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and EVERY TIME I DIE, they’ve made themselves known through their brutally loud and honest style of heavy riffs and covering darker themes relating to the human experience. Now, the band are backed with the aptly titled Sweet Violence and it very much lives up to its namesake.

Kicking the EP off is False Gods which starts out with loud feedback followed by, at first, a rather simplistic composition where the vocals are meant to be the focus. But before we can get too settled, things change course into all things heavy with stunning guitar riffs and low dark melodies, reminiscent of nu-metal trends during the early 00s. And even then, things change up constantly throughout the song with there being no set composition or structure.

This sets the tone for the rest of the EP: loud, brutal, and no rules. The next two songs, Graveyard Shift and Violet Delights are just pure energy and anger from CHAOS REIGNS, a perfect way to get out your own frustrations as you go about your day, whether you need this to soundtrack work, chores, or going out to run errands. Although Violet Delights feels a little samey after Graveyard Shift, and contains a rather weak “blegh”, there’s a fun section towards the end that brings in bluesy tinges and turns the vibe from something angry into something more upbeat and positive.

Another critique would be that some lyrics, whilst still need to be praised for covering some darker topics, do fall into the trap of feeling a little cringy and try hard, as seen on songs like Snakes & Branches and The Lotus King. Not so much in the sense that it feels ingenuine, but more that it could have been phrased in a less clunky way. However, with The Lotus King, the lyrics do have a saving grace with a feature from Mikey Chapman (MALLORY KNOX), whose theatrical vocals are able to bring said words to life.

Sweet Violence is a loud EP that’s straight to the point with no apologies to give. It might not be perfect, but it will give you the energy boost you need to process your own frustrations and anger at the world and its ways.

Rating: 7/10

Sweet Violence is out now via self-release. 

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