San Jose, California’s MUGSHOT, the metalcore/hardcore outfit, have released their second studio full-length (and first for Pure Noise Records), unleashing their most brutal music ever on June 20. For fans of The Acacia Strain, Fit For An Autopsy, and Dying Wish, this is straight up your alley. All The Devils Are Here is a collection of 12 songs with pure anger and personal human emotion dealing with the consequences and impact of of external forces that happen in everyday life.
This lineup is comprised of vocalist Ringo Waterman, guitarist Michael Demko, drummer Connor Haines, and bassist Ciro Abraham. Recorded in New Jersey with producer/engineer Randy Leboeuf (Kublai Kahn, The Acacia Strain, Gideon, Bad Omens), it’s the first Mugshot record not produced entirely by Haines.
“All of our music is inherently cathartic because of our genre,” says guitarist Michael Demko, “and we try to build that energy musically for the listener—and that lends itself to vitriol and anger, lyrically and thematically. There’s no better catharsis than really heavy music, because you feel it the most.”
The band also makes a bold statement setting them apart from many. “Inherently, we’re fairly political people,” explains Haines, “just in that we lean left, and we deal with being in a band and being broke because of the political system we live in. But instead of writing, say, a song about Donald Trump, it’s a lot more about the way that it affects us in our personal lives. I want lyrics that mean something to the person writing them.”
“Die in Fear,” cuts deep into the darkness. “Afore A Waking Nightmare” goes beyond the anger and high pitches to guttural growls; it’s riveting as hell! “Shame” speaks for itself, the way humans feel so much shame and guilt we carry on our souls. “Vale of Tears” represents the suffering our country has gone through. “Skin The Rabbit” is as brutal as can be, expressing the innocent suffering through endless time. “I Will Be Here Forever”, perhaps a favorite, unleashes blast beat after blast beat, expressing pure, unequivocal pain we all endure in everyday life. “Flesh Of My Body” has a spiritual vibe, but not of a specific religion. The anger is quite clear with this song especially.
“Baptized In Concrete” bludgeons and slices right through this album. “Where Your Sins Lie” reminds us what we have done, and what harm has been done to us. “All The Devils Are Here” is a riff heavy hurricane blowing into the ears. “Me And You” feels like a rebellion against the norms of society.
“Next To Your Idols” swings right into anger. Waterman states that “It’s so morbid and super pissed.”
Mugshot created something which gives the listener a place to release their anger, sadness, resentment from all of the bullshit this country is going through right now. All you gotta do is open the door, and this band will transport you to another world, a timeless existence and celebration rebellion with raw beautiful brutality.
Follow them: MUGSHOT
