Florida’s Bodysnatcher attacks your ears with Hell is Here, Hell is Home (MNRK Heavy) with a larger-than-life version of Metalcore, which is thankfully rooted more in actual Hardcore than some of the more recent poppy incarnations of the genre. They are pretty big on breakdowns, and the vocalist sometimes drops down to a lower Death Metal gurgle in places. I’m not sure if this qualifies them as Deathcore, but you have to think there needs to be more death metal in the equation to earn that title. It seems their vocalist just likes death metal, rather than it defining their vibe. 

Four albums in, they are aware of who they are and what they do with little experimentation involved in the formula. Gang vocals chime in for “May Your Memory Rot.” The album tends to be lyrically confrontational. They declare they “see a fucking crime scene in your future” on “Violent Obsession.” This seems like big words coming from just average joe-sized guys. But they do carry a great deal of technical precision, which is more of their strength than anything they might attempt in the gym. 

Midway through the album, it is clear they have a fetish for big breakdown riffs and hammering your ears with a tough guy attitude. But you also hear another angle where the death metal influence creeps in when it comes to the guitar solos, which are really impressive in terms of technical precision, and hardcore is not a genre known for shredding. They are not likely to take the cover of Guitar Player Magazine, but notable enough that it grabs your attention. 

“Blade Between the Teeth” finds the heavy chugs dialed in. But it is more predictable than not. The arrangements deviate from the rock songwriting formula, as you will find yourself being left unsure what the chorus is or where things are heading, aside from into another breakdown. Maybe that is what you listen to when you listen to hardcore. Not to say they are devoid of all traditional hardcore trappings, such as on “Survive or Die,” which features Terror vocalist Scott Vogel and tips its hat to more old-school hardcore. 

“Two Empty Caskets” carries a little more Djent in its groove. Their drummer is certainly good, but you have to be to play this sort of music. The songwriting is more defined here, showing they can write a good traditional song when they want to; it’s just not their thing most of the time, and they really just want to get the crowd moving. “Hell is Home” closes the album; it is a little more anthemic. This album is really well done, and Bodysnatcher is aligned with legit hardcore. Even with their tendency toward uniformity, it is clear that these guys showed up to the studio and made the album they intended to make. Does it have the most depth of any hardcore album dropping in 2026 so far? No, but there is a time and a place for just having fun, and that’s where this album comes from. 

Buy the album here:
https://bodysnatcherfl.bandcamp.com/album/hell-is-here-hell-is-home

8 / 10
WIL CIFER
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