As of late, deathcore — arguably metal and hardcore’s most brutal and versatile subgenre — has been undergoing a revival, with a wealth of new bands taking inspiration from some of the music that encapsulated the era of one of the most influential and widely-used social media platforms of the 2000s, Myspace. At the forefront of this revival is Mauled, an Indianapolis outfit that has been making waves in the scene since they released their self-titled EP in April 2025. Embarking on their biggest headlining tour yet this March and April, 2026 is already a big year for the band.

On March 12, they released another EP titled “When Your Eyes Are Shut.” Laden with dark tremolo-picked riffs and bone-breaking breakdowns — slowed sections with heavy bass drops that create a heavier, as opposed to aggressive, feel — this new songlist proves itself to be a cathartic and brutal assault on the senses. One thing is clear: Mauled has breakdowns so we don’t have to.

The six-track, 15-minute long release is brief, but certainly not rushed. Building on the sonic ultraviolence set by their self-titled EP, “When Your Eyes Are Shut” cements Mauled’s place as one of the heaviest hitters of the Myspace deathcore revival and sets them apart by taking them to a new plane of sonic violent devastation. They balance loyalty to their genre’s techniques with a sample and background ambience-driven originality that promises further exploitation in releases to come.

Highly distinct in the EP is the mournful undertone beneath the almost excessively aggressive sound — strongly aiding in the process of cathartic release. The repeated use of samples, often from horror movies and video games, helps create this effect, as does the heavy layering of Abe Kirkpatrick’s vocals — a mix of screeching highs with guttural lows — conveying a very human distress behind a monster-like facade.

The music itself is driven by an intense interchange between dark and melodic tremolo-picked riffs and heavy, chugging breakdowns. The down-tuned guitars add an extra percussive layer to the sub-bass of the breakdowns when palm-muted and are thrillingly disorienting when permitted to ring out. At times, they pan left and right in the speakers, adding dynamism to the melodic sections of songs that rely largely on the power of heavily percussive breakdowns.

The drums are relentless, embellished by an up-tuned snare that rings out on the floor of bass like a baseball bat upon a half-empty beer keg. An assortment of bells and cymbals adds tasteful flourishes during breakdowns dominated by open chugs and sub-bass.

Lyrically, while often tricky to decipher through listening alone, the EP focuses on themes relating to the darker side of humanity — often violence and death. While open to interpretation, such lyrics may recognize and embrace the existence of humanity’s capability for evil but act as a warning against them when buried in the aggression of the mix. This content is primarily cathartic, exposing the darkness that humans hold inside and providing a creative and productive means of letting it out. The horror movie samples add to this by reflecting evil so that it can be relinquished, as does the heavy use of expletives which, rather than coming off as tasteless and overused, contribute to the shock value of the music.

“When Your Eyes Are Shut” demands that the listener pulls out all of the best ninja moves in the moshpit in what is at once an adrenaline-spiking and tiring listen — the latter because, again, catharsis presents itself at the forefront of this project.

The introductory track, “Untitled” begins with a ghostly radio static, swelling with falling rain and a spine-chilling sample from the 2016 movie “31,” saying: “I am here to end your miserable [expletive] life.”

Following the introduction is the aptly named “Mouthful Of Glass,” a blood-rushing start to the album. A devilish tremolo-picked riff surrounded by waves of cymbal crashes explodes into the first breakdown of the EP, straddled expertly by Kirkpatrick’s screams. The song concludes with an audible bellow of the 808 sub-bass and another breakdown, this one particularly brutal.

Then comes “TheLastThingYouSee,” one of the EP’s singles, and a beatdown of sound. The crowd vocals chanting, “I’ll be the last thing that you see / Before you die” following the song’s raging blast beats give way to another crushing breakdown, this time embellished by the width of the splash cymbal. This cymbal use is like a gulp of fresh air in the hurricane of a song that is at once personal and existential.

“Unidentified Autopsy” continues the assault, making almost comedic use of silence in the breakdown, so much so that the audible rush of one’s own thoughts becomes unsettling.

The second of the EP’s singles, “Drop Dead Gorgeous” hits out at a faster tempo than the previous tracks in a repeating stop-start interchange between blast-beats and mini-breakdowns in a sort of controlled chaos. The breakdown at the end of the song is somewhat unique in the way it stutters — continuing this starting-stopping technique as if in a fit of madness but unsure why its rage is so acute.

Concluding the EP is “For Me…It’s Always Like This,” an outro featuring an uneasy, yet peaceful, ambience fronted by somber and clean guitars fading out. It acts as a resurfacing of sorts after the cathartic carnage that took place, reminding the listener of their existence.

So with internal demons released, where does Mauled go next? Fans ought to be expecting a full-length project in the future, and the big question is how the band can build on the sound they already established. They have proven they can do heavy music. What listeners might want to know is how they will immerse their audience in a full-length experience. Will they lean further into aggression, or give more consideration to the sad and mournful elements? Regardless, whatever they do next is sure to keep listeners on their toes.

— In his column “The Breakdown,” Rowan A. G. Whitworth ’28 explores metal, hardcore, and their fusion subgenres, some of music’s most extreme and exciting scenes. He can be reached at [email protected].