Crown Magnetar does deathcore the right way.

Forgoing the oft-used technique of blubbering legitimately incoherent nonsense, the titans of the industry insert vulgar, spiteful lyrics all over Everything Bleeds (Unique Leader Records). The record comes fresh off the heels of 2022’s EP, Alone In Death, signaling a need for the Coloradans to constantly wreak havoc. 

As a whole, the full-length does away with “bree,” “blegh” and “blub blub”. Their characteristic turbo-charged drumming, courtesy of Byron London, envelops the entire production. There are no surprises here, which is how Crown Magnetar operates best.

Dan Tucker’s command of the mic maintains a sense of danger; your safety is constantly in question. ‘The Killing Stone’ begs the question: would being bludgeoned by a rock actually be less fatal than this track? The vocals on ‘Nail Funeral’ sees Tucker in a sinister and defiant mood. And the rhythm section paints a picture of riding a waterslide with a hairpin turn and ever-increasing velocity.

The meticulous nature is evident every way you approach Everything Bleeds. ‘Hex Ov Hate’ ebbs and flows with tenacity and vengeance. The title track is thunderous, rapturous. Cannon-like drum blasts keep the brutality at a maximum. 

‘The Level Beneath’ feigns calm but quickly bursts into a relentless ambush of heft and barbarity. And that short snippet is the only (partial) left turn you’ll come across. Everything Bleeds plays out as a soundtrack hellbent on definitively proving just that. The seering, abrasive and disruptive record stands tall against acts that prefer to imitate frogs. 

What Crown Magnetar does imitate is a calamitous, catastrophic vehicle that was out of control from the start. Yet in the end, all of the elements coalesce into a thick and heavy album, one that works as an emphatic example of how deathcore was meant to be played.

Buy the album here:

https://orcd.co/everythingbleeds

8 / 10

MATT COOK