The state of Texas has a long and proud tradition of punk bands playing metal; Power Trip, from Dallas, might be the current kings of that kind of crossover. Today, the Austin power trio Skeleton take their place in that lineage. Skeleton have been around for a few years, and they released an EP called Pyramid Of Skull in 2018. Today, Skeleton release their self-titled debut album. It is nasty.

Skeleton’s music doesn’t really fit into any particular subgenre. They draw on the sounds of ’80s thrash and ’90s death metal, but they also pull from crust-punk and D-beat. They keep things relatively simple and straightforward — no blazing guitar heroics, no showy time-signature changes. Instead, they rasp and sputter and lurch with commendable abandon.

Skeleton’s self-titled album is pretty raw and lo-fi, and it lurches between styles and influences with a mean sense of confidence. The vocals are so shredded that you might not pick out a single world. The guitars sound like they’re echoing up from the bottom of a well. It’s a new album, but it sounds like some moldy demo from years ago, one that might get discovered in a dank basement and become an online cult favorite. It rules. Listen to it below.

Skeleton is out now on 20 Buck Spin.