Metalcore is finding the most niche, darkest corners to occupy. Mastiff’s sludge-ridden barrage of riffs and callous brutality reveals how modern heaviness still finds ways to exceed limits through honouring underground roots.
Release date: October 24 2025 | Church Road Records | Facebook | Bandcamp
Formed in 2013, Mastiff’s nihilistically pitiless crossover hardcore/metalcore with down-beat sludge and elements of powerviolence has pitted them as a vital asset to emerge from the UK underground. Hailing from Kingston upon Hull, the Yorkshire quintet ascribe their miserable and downtrodden sound to their surroundings: described as a ‘miserable band from a miserable city’ and described by Kerrang! in 2019 as a ‘Grind-Sludge Molotov Cocktail’, Mastiff have perfected their aggressive approach to modern heaviness that plunges into sonic extremity. The band further sport an extensive discography with several EPs, singles, and demos, along with four full-length studio albums: Wrank (2013), Plague (2019), Leave me the Ashes of the Earth (2021), and Deprecipice (2024). Continuing to bolster this arsenal of aggression, For All the Dead Dreams is Mastiff’s latest EP that introduces us to a limitless world of sonic deprivation.
The record opens with “Soliloquy”, with a brooding minimalistic degree of heaviness. Expect sharp, percussive stabs and agonisingly dissonant hardcore riffs in accompaniment whilst the raspy vocals occupy death metal territory. Continuing with the dissonant and feedback-laced aesthetics, “Rotting Blossoms” is a pummelling track crafted from a harsh guitar lead and brisk rhythmic pace. The blend of the record’s direct and stripped-back metalcore/hardcore approach, along with subtle elements of extremity pushing layers of feedback, jarring vocal lines, and excessive, doom-laden tempo changes, are evident in these first two tracks and already highlight the remorselessness of this EP.
The mid track, “Decimated Graves”, highlights much of the record’s trademark characteristics. The rapid shift between tempos, blending of groove-infested metalcore riffs, and noise-drenched sludge metal sluggishness bounce off each other well and enhance the moments in which they are executed with great volatility. The unrelenting heaviness does not surrender as the next track “A Story Behind Every Light” commences; instead we are met with a constant barrage of limitless sonic revulsion that conveys sentiments of nihilism and dismal expression. “Corporeal” closes the EP in a vicious custom, opening with a sharp grindcore passage soon followed by a filthy deathcore breakdown that only evolves through added layers in its runtime.
There’s a true sense of consistency with Mastiff throughout their discography in which they continue to release music that sets a high standard staying true to their pessimistic and destructive musical tendencies. The constant mixture of extreme metal stylistic divisions like sludge, grindcore, deathcore, and noise – amongst other excessive sonic characteristics – whilst honing a surface layer of crushing metalcore, showcases a band that is well read in their craft of heavy music production. For All the Dead Dreams continues a mean streak of unapologetic, grim musicality for a band who appear to be hitting their stride with each release.
