The Washington, DC band Red Death might be the best thing to come out of the recent explosive rebirth of their hometown’s DIY hardcore scene, and that is saying something. DC is lousy with great punk bands right now, as it has been so many times in the past, but Red Death are on another level. The band fuses classic hardcore and ’80s thrash with bloodthirsty urgency, never sounding like they’re doing anything too retro. Red Death have thus far released two albums — 2015’s Permanent Exile and 2017’s Formidable Darkness — and both of them absolutely fucking rip. And now there’s another one on the way.

In the time since Formidable Darkness, Red Death have been touring hard, and they were intense as hell when I saw them at DC’s Damaged City festival last year. The members of the band have also been putting out records with other bands like Witchtrial and Blue Streak. And now they’ve moved up to a big label, the longstanding metal indie Century Media, for the release of the impending LP Sickness Divine. Power Trip collaborator Arthur Rizk produced the album, which is a good sign.

Another good sign: First single “Face The Pain,” which will rip the flesh right off of your face. The new track is fast and fervent, with chest-busting vocals and absolutely nasty guitar shredding. Below, listen to “Face The Pain” and check out the Sickness Divine tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Sickness Divine”
02 “Face The Pain”
03 “Sword Without A Sheath”
04 “The Anvil’s Ring”
05 “Sheep May Unsafely Graze”
06 “Path Of Discipline”
07 “(Refuse To Be) Bound By Chains”
08 “Dreadful Perception”
09 “Ravage”
10 “Exhalation Of Decay”

Sickness Divine is out 11/29 on Century Media.