Words by: dothefknreview
Out 29th August, 2025
Greyscale Records/Nuclear Blast
If heavy music in 2025 had a face, Mélancolia just smashed it through a window. random.access.misery isn’t the sound of a band gently evolving, it’s the sound of one violently demanding their place at the top of extreme music.
The Melbourne collective made waves with their debut HissThroughRottenTeeth, but their sophomore record shows an entirely new level of precision and ambition. Rather than drowning in deathcore excess, Mélancolia strip the genre back to its ugliest, rawest elements, then rebuild it with unnerving atmosphere and grooves sharp enough to draw blood.
Opening track ALL_IS_RUST sets the tone with a suffocating wall of guitars and percussion that feels less like drumming and more like demolition work. Alex Hill’s vocals are central, not just screamed or growled, but weaponised into something that sounds genuinely dangerous. Songs like boiler.room and icanseethroughtheholesinmyhands hit like body blows, while Picking Scabs manages to be grotesque and unforgettable in equal measure.
Guest spots from Hunter Young (“Lithia”) and Christopher Mackertich (“SPIT!”) add flavour, but the album’s spine is all Mélancolia. The title track random.access.misery is the centrepiece — sprawling, nihilistic, and immersive, proving the band can devastate without relying on constant breakdowns or theatrics.
What’s striking is how current this album feels. Where many peers lean on nostalgia or gimmicks, Mélancolia sound terrifyingly relevant, merging blackened atmospherics, deathcore weight, and nu-metal groove without compromise. It’s music that’s as claustrophobic as it is cathartic, pushing the boundaries of what heavy can mean in 2025.
random.access.misery is not just an album, it’s a statement of intent. Mélancolia have arrived, and they’re not asking for space in the scene. They’re taking it by force.
9.5/10 – uncompromising, unmissable, undeniable.
