Near the end of 2019, the Detroit band Never Ending Game released their debut LP Just Another Day, one of the most brutally satisfying hardcore albums in recent memory. Never Ending Game’s style is metallic, but it’s not metalcore. Instead, it’s hard-crunch juggernaut shit, motivational music for anyone who’s ever wanted to hit a swandive headbutt on a pack of hyenas. You won’t hear too many shout-along hardcore moments better than that album’s climactic “God forgives, NEG don’t” bellow. So the news of a new Never Ending Game EP is good news indeed.

In the time since Just Another Day, Never Ending Game have spawned the deeply intense side project Gridiron, and their “Dreamin’ Red” was probably the hardest song on the great recent compilation America’s Hardcore Volume 5. (On an album with 39 hard songs, that’s a serious distinction.) Now NEG have plans to open for Turnstile on a few upcoming West Coast shows, and they’ve just announced that they’ll have a new EP called Halo & Wings out next month. The new song “But Not For Me” is a strong indicator that this thing will stomp major ass.

“But Not For Me” is prime Never Ending Game. It’s a feverishly heavy ripper with some ugly, nasty riffs and primally satisfying lizard-brain mosh moments. But the song does a few unexpected things, too. The sample at the end is a delight, and I’m pretty sure it’s all based on a Devo quote? Listen below.

The Halo & Wings EP is out 9/25 on Triple B Records.