“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place. And I don’t care how tough you are; it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.” That’s Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, making an inspirational speech to his son (Jess from Gilmore Girls) in the 2006 movie Rocky Balboa. Rocky’s monologue — on how it ain’t how hard you an hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward — is a stirring moment from an underrated film. (I really like Rocky Balboa.) Now, it’s also the beginning of the debut EP from the hardcore band Ends Of Sanity. This is one of those cases where a new band lets you know exactly where you stand in the first few seconds of its first record.

Ends Of Sanity come from North Carolina, and they’re made up of current and former members of bands like Magnitude, Life’s Question, Detriment, and Dwell. I’m guessing they’re named after Metallica’s …And Justice For All deep cut “The Frayed Ends Of Sanity,” which I think is cool. (Sharing a name with a Metallica banger has worked out well for Trapped Under Ice.) Today, Ends Of Sanity have released their four-song self-titled debut EP, and it rips.

Ends Of Sanity’s style is barreling, straight-ahead metallic hardcore with big, chunky riffs and serious, locked-in grooves. It’s unpretentious, head-down mosh music, and it makes me happy. The EP won’t take up too much of your time; only one of the songs breaks the two-minute barrier. But it’s heavy and satisfying, and it leaves an impression. Stream it below.

The Ends Of Sanity cassette is out now on Daze.