If nothing else, Philly’s Die Choking certainly boast an arresting moniker. Named for the fate drummer Josh Cohen (also of the hardcore band Cop Problem) once found himself wishing on a certain ex-Philadelphia Eagle with an animal abuse rap sheet, this grind act delivers a surfeit of hostility on III, their debut “full-length”. (III’s 14-minute run time seems to call for the scare quotes, but Die Choking’s two 2014 EPs were less than 6 minutes apiece. That’s grindcore for ya.)

Also featuring an ex-member of Total Fucking Destruction, Die Choking serves in part as a venue for its musicians to push their abilities to the limits, and these tracks are indeed withering workouts — as fast and scathing as any metal you’ll hear this year, with extra emphasis courtesy of engineer Will Yip (Circa Survive, Blacklisted, and, uh, Lauryn Hill)’s exacting production. That’s saying a lot, given how high the ceiling’s gotten for speed and brutality in metal’s more extreme marches. But fortunately, III’s not all flying spittle and popping veins. Die Choking channels the intensity with a subtle songwriting intelligence that begins to emerge after the initial shock of their impact wears off. While none of these sub-2-minute rippers approaches the kind of melodicism that Gridlink or Beaten To Death traffic in, each breathes just enough to sustain a life of its own within the album’s harsh ecosystem. The wealth of key riffs doesn’t hurt, either. Listen.

III will be out digitally on 10/8 and in vinyl via The Compound on 10/23. It’s available for preorder in various colors via both the label and the band. III will also see a CD release around the turn of the year via Selfmadegod. (Full disclosure: my band works with Selfmadegod on occasion as well.) Die Choking will be on tour in support of III on and off for the remainder of 2015; check out their upcoming dates below.

10/22 Milwaukee, WI @ Bremen Café w/ No Brainer, Rifle Diet, Plague, Ablation
10/23 Minneapolis, MN @ Hexagon w/ Deterioration, Daigoro, Invidiosus
10/24 Denver, CO @ The Mutiny w/ Rotstrotter, 908
10/25 Boise, ID @ The Shredder
10/26 Missoula, MT @ VFW w/ No Brainer, Got Grunt, Dead Beats
10/27 Portland, OR @ The Foggy Notion w/ Akira, Scoulor
10/28 Richmond, CA @ Burnt Ramen w/ Concussive, Cease
10/29 Los Angeles, CA @ Perez w/ LxDxT, Facelift, Putasos, Terror Cult
10/30 Salt Lake City, UT @ House Show w/ Worry, Tourcher Porn
10/31 Kansas City, MO @ Penn Valley Skatepark w/ Blind Dog
11/01 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project w/ Slaves BC, Mere Phantoms, Gothmog
11/07 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot n’ Saddle w/ Mother Brain, Grin & Bear It, Surgeon
11/13 Bethlehem, PA @ The Burners w/ Carved Up, Jesus Piece
11/14 Meadville, PA @ Voodoo Brewery w/ Carved Up
11/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar w/ Carved Up, Spotlights, Godmaker
12/05 Gloucester City, NJ @ South Jersey Metal Fest 4 w/ Rivers of Nihil, Corpse Horder, more
1/08 Syracuse, NY @ Funk n’ Waffles w/ Sulaco