Urban Dictionary tells me that “three knee deep” is prison slang for when you “stab someone so that they’re injured, but not killed, usually as a warning.” That sounds unpleasant! It also sounds like a good name for a hardcore band. And now it is one.

Three Knee Deep come from Tampa Bay, and they play with a satisfyingly brutal crunch that recalls the wild ’90s glory days of New York hardcore. The vocals toggle back and forth between knucklehead grunt-rap cadences and death metal rumble-bellows, and the music locks into neck-snap riff-grooves while occasionally launching into a blazing metallic guitar solo. Three Knee Deep released their debut EP Wrong World in 2017, and now they’re back with two new songs, “Duck Down” and “Devil’s Playground,” that impressively flex their heaviness. Also, there’s an eerie rap beat in between the two of them, which is a cool touch. Check them out below.

You can buy both songs at Bandcamp.