It’s Monday and Mondays suck, so let’s grind it out with Dark Habits’ Scaphism.
Today it’s gonna be short and sweet. As I write this it’s almost 3:30am on Monday and I’ve slept a collective ten hours over four days. So, Dark Habits, you’re keeping my red eyes cracked open before a hopeful six-hour rest. Let’s fucking boogie.
The Glasgow unit is now on their second EP, with Scaphism being released only a year after 2017’s Cave Paintings. And if you heard that first EP, you know what you’re in store for: dark, blasting grind/powerviolence with some splashes of crust and a healthy serving of noise. Though the noise has been dialed back a bit on this album, we’re still served up a barrage of blasts, feedback and unhinged madness.
If you don’t know what Scaphism is, it’s…well, it’s pretty metal. And the five tracks on this eight-minute EP summarize all you need to know about it by title alone. Kicking off with some noise on “The Milk” before going full grind. And grind this band knows how to, because while “The Milk” is a murderer of an intro track, things really crank up with “The Honey.” And holy shit does that track kill. But Dark Habits are about more than just one way to kill your eardrums.
See, what Dark Habits excels at is two things: variety and control. Nothing is ever overstayed, and the band plays to a variety of styles. See, the first two tracks are great grinding powerviolence with plenty of touches of noise. But it’s when “The Boats” hit and the album suddenly becomes more melodic/progressive. However, it never loses any of its edge, and Dark Habits continue down their tortuous path. It’s slower, but still pissed. It’s where you realize that this little EP really has some legs because this track practically weeps before giving in to its fate (much like the victims of the torture method).
Once the EP wraps up, you might be begging for more (unlike the torture vicims), and I wouldn’t blame you. Dark Habits conjure some dark, brutal stuff that cuts like a fine blade. It’s short but damn is every second of it fucking brutal. And since we only did an eight-minute EP this round, let’s see if I can top that next week and shoot for, oh let’s say, five to six-minutes. Until then, go forth and grind.
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