Occasionally, researching and programming the playlist for The Pit does still throw up something interesting. Mental Devastation being one such recent “something” to pique the interest levels of my ever-cynical brain, cynical when it comes to thrash metal in general at least anyways. Although technical thrash metal is not my usual bag, and vocals reminiscent of Sean Killian of Vio-lence or Russ Anderson of Forbidden are usually a massive turn off for me, there is something about Mental Devastation’s sound that carries appeal still. Considering that Alejandro Lagos’ vocals are not suited to my ears, or indeed all the tracks on this record, there is a level of proficiency to the playing that cannot be ignored. I wouldn’t say that there is all that much in the way of showboating on here either, just an obvious talent that knows it doesn't need ramming down the listeners necks.

Like other Chilean thrashers such as Critical Defiance and Parkcrest, it is hard not to acknowledge the prowess in the riff department but then the lead work here feels a notch above what I can recall from the other two acts. Vocally it is far too limited an offering for me to be considering any higher end marks going against the rating. Yet, despite showing progressive tropes it never strays into over-indulgence either. The album sort of occupies a middle ground in between the promise of progressive and aggressive thrash at the same time. Coroner seem an obvious comparison, but you won’t find much in the way of Voivod here. The attack is the driving force of the album with the progressive/technical trappings bringing up the rear. Some cool, bendy bass work from Alejandro helps make up for his rather one-dimensional vocals.

Drumming wise (as is often my criticism), the skins get a bit lost in the mix. ‘Mental Devastation’ sounds like the drums should be a lot further forward in the mix, but then again, the whole track sounds a little sterile to my ears. The bursts of lead guitar are a joy though. The energy they can bring into tracks can save some of the lesser appealing tunes on the record if I am honest. Nothing can save ‘Dõ’ however, that one is clearly filler and should have never made the album at all. It is quite disruptive to the final third of the record in fact. The final three tracks look like an attempt to bookend the title track at some eight minutes plus long, but they just feel like two short tracks thrown in there to beef up the track listing. However, I did reference this as one of those interesting albums from The Pit exploration, so I am by no means slamming this record, more making some critical observations.

2025 was an absolutely brutal year for metalcore. Both in terms of the new music that was released as well as many of the older records that I got around to. This has been a consistent decline in quality for years and further exacerbated by metalcore being the dominant style of metal in the mainstream. So despite my best efforts to avoid metalcore in my spare time, I'm still beat over the head with disposable albums from Bury Tomorrow, Architects, Slaughter to Prevail, among others. But earlier in this year I heard Hit It! for the first time and was taken by surprise by how good it was! This is like if the electronicore of Electric Callboy was somehow infused with the more accessible stylings of Thornhill. And even that doesn't fully encompass every style/influence Vianova have on Hit It! Now to its credit, the album does have a solid flow. The intense djentcore elements are kept rather sparse and are used for artistic effect. The record has a smooth texture even through the style changes, such as the shoegaze "Future Nostalgia" that transforms into a quasi-Deafheaven groove. I think the biggest issue is in the production, and more specifically, how the songwriting hurts the low end of the mix. Many songs on Hit It! take inspiration from djent in its guitar riffing, but songs like "Melanchronic" have this off-putting groove where the bass just feels like its been pushed into the track unprovoked, which is a shame because the opening synth line hooked me in right away.

Despite this, I think that the pacing of Hit It! is excellent and does not run just status quo in the metalcore sphere. And that might turn a few people off of it entirely. But if you want a metalcore record where the songwriting is something worth a damn, then smash that play button and give it a try!

Best Songs: Future Nostalgia, Oh No (Believer), Whatever Alright, Obsolete

As many of us know, the current decade of the 2020s is the ongoing pinnacle of symphonic deathcore with bands like Worm Shepherd and Lorna Shore enhancing it with their grand heavy gems. Meanwhile, two lesser-known bands Synestia and Disembodied Tyrant were putting their own spin to the genre with their collaboration EP The Poetic Edda, 4 tracks of excellent technical symphonic neoclassical deathcore!

Both two-man bands who had each previously made a couple EPs/albums have united for a blend like barely any other. Symphonics, neoclassical leads, and brutality all form a clever cauldron of epic deathcore in a more whimsical while still destructive way than any other band has done.

The beginning track "Death Empress" is total symphonic madness as neoclassical leads and launched forward alongside the deathcore technicality. Then it ends with one of the best, most pulverzing breakdowns I've heard in a long time. Also, while they utilize synthesized strings and choir, rather than a full orchestra, the symphonics sound much closer to film-score orchestra than in any other band of the genre possible. "I, The Devourer" continues taking on the brutal verses and symphonic sections. I love when the hardcore riffing clashes with the metal soloing for a fantastic result. The amount of technical riffs and leads add in some fun modern chaos not too far from Rings of Saturn.

The title track keeps up the sound we've been hearing so far, although this time, it has a couple slight flaws to prevent the album from reaching a perfect 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, everything is solid and deathly especially in the breakdowns. The small issues lie in how tiring they get, particularly in the guitars and strings that are still enjoyable. But it's made for by the guest vocals from Shadow of Intent's Ben Duerr. And eliminating all doubt even further is the grand finale, "Winter", a deathcore reconstruction of the Vivaldi classic, complete with the band's own lyrics. There's no way anyone can review this EP without mentioning this majestic glory. An overused classical composition is given a more brutal treatment filled with blasts and breakdowns. I hope people in the future will know this reimagining as much as the present world knows the original.

So the question is, would this EP be worth adding to The Guardians, given that it has a significant amount of upvotes for neoclassical metal in RYM? I'm gonna go with no. It sounds too brutal for the clan with the death growls, crushing riffing, and breakdowns, despite the symphonics and neoclassical leads are just yearning to allow it in the clan. Dragoncorpse, this is not. Anyway, let's hope for another collaboration EP like The Poetic Edda. Despite one track being a little iffy, this offering is too impressive to lose!

Favorites: "Death Empress", "Winter"

Despite my well-publicised obsession with chilean thrash metal and the fact that Mental Devastation have been around for well over a decade and a half, I haven't crossed swords with these guys before and so went into it with great anticipation. Now strictly technical thrash metal doesn't always appeal to me so much, as I like my thrash to have an inherent aggression and fire, that I think is often lost amongst excessive technicality. As is usually the case with chilean thrash, though, this certainly delivers on the passion and aggression front, whilst also displaying an impressive level of technical ability. The usual chilean hallmarks are all present, breakneck pacing, vicious vocals and pronounced basslines, all well-represented by a nice, clean production job.

Following a brief anticipatory intro the opener proper, "Symbiosis", tears out of the blocks with a riff that proceeds to tear any unprepared listener a new one. With exuberant, energetic guitar soloing and bassist Alejandro Lagos' aggressive vocal delivery this is proper celebratory and whiplash-inducing stuff. They are perfectly capable of dialling it back a little though with "Judge and Jury" initially hitting a more mid-paced tempo. It is at these lower speeds, however, that Lagos' limitations as a vocalist are exposed as he maintains the ragged delivery he uses on the blisteringly fast tracks, which doesn't really suit the mid-paced stuff at all well and feels a bit like a sonic splinter in the thumb of the album. They also attempt something a bit more progressive on "Pulsions" but the gentle opening section exposes the vocal shortcomings even more.

I don't think that the technical aspect of "The Delusional Mystery of the Self Part II" is especially pronounced, certainly as far as the songwriting goes as the riffs still rule the roost here. For my money, dual guitarists Matías Morales and Felipe Espinoza are the guys who provide the secret sauce. Their riffs are pretty good, but their soloing is the real draw for me, delivering a great line in short, sharp shocks without sapping the momentum from the tracks by becoming too self-indulgent, even during the track "Primitive Paths" where they really go to town. All-in-all this is a very enjoyable slab of chilean thrash with enough energy and aggression to keep pace with my favourites from that neck of the woods, but which is robbed of my highest marks by the vocal limitations which I occasionally found too jarring to excuse and the superfluous instrumental "Dõ" which, for me, had no place being here at all.

I read somewhere recently that Jacob Bannon did not necessarily think that the world needed a new Converge record, but that the band themselves did. There was a time, not too long ago when I would have probably deemed that I never needed a Converge record at all, but that has been well documented on Metal Academy already. The tides have turned and I find myself on much less turbulent terms with some of the content of The Revolution clan, to the point where I can enjoy the harder sounding metalcore releases. As it turns out then, Love Is Not Enough is right up my street.

It sounds like a lot more of a riffy affair than I remember from previous outings with the band’s releases. The start of 'Bad Faith' shows this particular trait well I find. Likewise, the grinding sensibilities of 'Distract and Divide' is an absolute treasure. These short bursts of fury that cover the first four tracks of the album create a real sense of momentum early in the listening experience. As a result, the instrumental 'Beyond Repair' almost sucks some life from proceedings, However, I find it is a very clever little track. Its broken percussion befits the track title superbly when you take time to listen under a more critical mindset.

That raging aggression is soon back alongside those big riffs for the remainder of Love Is Not Enough. It is an accomplishment to cram such a rewarding listening experience into a little over half an hour. I find it has appeal for its scathing honesty and the bluntness of its messaging also. Love Is Not Enough as an album title tells you all you need to know really. This is a record with a lot of bitterness that is borne out of suffering, told by souls who no longer wish to stay silent on the matter. Probably the best metalcore album I have ever experienced.