In 2020, the Delaware metallic hardcore band Year Of The Knife followed a few devastating EPs with their full-length debut Internal Incarceration. Converge’s Kurt Ballou produced the record, and it ruled. Since then, Year Of The Knife have gone through some changes. Madison Watkins, once the band’s bassist, has taken over as lead singer, replacing Tyler Mullen. They’ve been playing shows with their new lineup for a while. Today, with zero advance warning, they’ve dropped a beast of a new EP, and Watkins’ vocals sound hard as hell.

Year Of The Knife recorded the new EP Dust To Dust with God’s Hate/Deadbody member Taylor Young, and he’s right up there with Kurt Ballou on the list of people who know how to make heavy music sound amazing on record. Dust To Dust is a short release — three songs, seven minutes — but it still feels like a major statement. All three tracks are absolutely pulverizing, and those seven minutes simply never let up.

After a couple of listens, “Victim” stands out to me as the best song, but the whole thing hangs together beautifully. If anything, this band has only gotten better since the album, or maybe their frantic attack just works better at EP length. Stream Dust To Dust below.

Dust To Dust is out now on Pure Noise.