Self Inflicted

Personnel: Pablo Viveros (vocals, drums); Alex Koehler (vocals); Dan Jones , Jaek Harmond, Stephen Rutishauser (guitar).
Audio Mixer: Stephan Hawkes.
Recording information: Interlace Audio.
After three well-received full-length outings and a pair of EPs, the Salt Lake City-based deathcore enthusiasts have made the logical move from Razor & Tie imprint Artery to the post-hardcore haven that is Rise Records. The resulting Self Inflicted is as menacing and relentless as anything that Chelsea Grin has dropped thus far, a rage-fueled beatdown that's as technically sound as it sonically punishing. It's also virtually interchangeable with the group's prior outings, though the same could be said about the output of nearly all of the band's Rise colleagues, but as per usual, Chelsea Grin's deft guitar work and mathy breakdowns add just enough spice to afford them a bit of prominence. Opening with the largely atonal, yet unabating "Welcome Back," the 11-song set delivers a visceral blast that rarely pauses to take in the destruction that lies behind it. The aptly named "Clickbait" -- the LP's lead single -- and the doomy "Four Horsemen" offer up two sides of a blood-spattered coin; the former an onerous kiss-off to the band's detractors, and the latter an apocalyptic call to arms. Both tracks are riddled with angsty, trope-heavy lyrics that sound like they were pulled off the cardboard back of a band logo-adorned high school notebook, but what they lack in erudition they more than make up for in might. Parting shots "Never, Forever" and "Say Goodbye" impress with their lethal blend of melody and destruction, but those brief forays into fractured tunefulness are few and far between. Self Inflicted is all about palm-muted vengeance and hopelessness, and illuminating the darkness betwixt the two. ~ James Christopher Monger