I know sometimes when musical legends leave the stage for the last time, it’s hard to find anyone that fills the voids. Our faves perhaps can never be replaced, but it’s natural to still want something that scratches the same itch. So I’ll lead off today’s great premiere by saying if y’all love wild and heavy hard-/mathcore not unlike that of The Dillinger Escape Plan or Botch (yeah, I know they’re kind of back, but let me cook), then you need to pay attention to this shit because goddamn.

Koningsor are from Austin, Texas and, if I were to judge that city by this band alone, I’d say the controlled chaos of their music likely mirrors the unpredictable bustle you could find there. Across six tracks, their new EP Death Process provides a certain kind of distilled audible hell, the kind that could only come from the concrete jungles of America and emotional, mental toil of the modern world. It’s cold and calculated, but not without its heart – in fact, that’s what sets it well apart from the rest. We’re very happy to assist in premiering the entire EP one day ahead of its June 2 release.

Death Process is marred by tragedy, aptly named as it sees the band literally process death. This EP was written in the wake of three members of Koningsor losing parents and other loved ones, effectively fueling every burning riff, drum strike, and yelped lyric. The cover art is contorted into the vague shape of a heart with the visage of a skull or two, marrying symbolism of life and death, and how one can’t exist without the other. In all its Rorschach-esque glory though, you may see something else.

Musically… where do I begin? I had the pleasure of hearing “End of an Error” when it dropped a month ago. I found it to be a searing plate of mathcore, a veritable plasma cutter of a track with tons of melody and heft. That approach is multiplied here sixfold, one for each of Death Process‘ songs. “Bile Ritual” feels like having your skull terraformed from the inside out – the rapid-fire drumming and staccato riffing are hard as fuck. “Rubberdactyl” eases us into the EP, but it’s not long before it piledrives you off a building onto a cop car below. This is expert-level fare from all around the -core mentality – no one slacks in this band. Still, I think the EP finishes on the highest note of all with the title track which bulldozes through your speakers with dense vocals and murderous percussion. If your home was built before 1980, this may crack your foundation.

Coming off of a West Coast/Midwestern US tour all of April with Steaksauce Mustache and The Motion Mosaic, not to mention the personal hardships that acted as kindling for the creative process, this EP feels like a victory lap, a testament to human resilience and satiating the nagging pang to put your emotions and passion into your work even at your lowest. It’s therapeutic. It’s my hope that the Koningsor boys have found some peace with the completion of this work. Death Process is a wonderful, neatly eclectic, and wholly ass-blasting piece of heavy music practically heat-seeking everyone within earshot.

Big, big thanks to our pals at The Chain for this opportunity and entrusting us with it. Death Process officially releases tomorrow, June 2, on all digital platforms I’m sure, but you can directly support over at Silent Pendulum RecordsBandcamp page, and look into their physical offerings as the label’s website. Follow Koningsor on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well.

Band photo by Travis Seekrits

David Rodriguez

David Rodriguez

"I came up and so could you, and fuck the boys in blue" - RMR

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