Words by: Mark Polst
Greyscale Records
Out Now
Melting aren’t here to play nice… or by the rules. The Melbourne four-piece’s debut EP You Exist Because We Allow It is a gnarly, pissed-off slab of metalcore chaos that tears through subgenre boundaries like it’s actively trying to pick a fight out the front of the pub at 2am. Released via Greyscale Records, the EP is as unhinged as it is purposeful, and it’s one hell of a first impression!
After dropping a trio of blistering singles in 2024, Melting drew quick attention from Greyscale, and it’s easy to hear why. This band doesn’t give a damn about being polished or palatable. From the moment Into The Suffer kicks in, you’re dragged headfirst into a soundscape built from sludge, black metal, hardcore, doom, and whatever else they felt like tossing in. It’s heavy as hell, messy in all the right ways, and doesn’t waste a second trying to win you over (which it definitely has).
The band describes the EP as ‘relentless‘, and they’re not bullshitting. These five tracks deal in total sonic control, or more accurately, a complete lack of it. It’s brutal, chaotic, and at times borderline feral. But there’s vision behind the madness. Melting know exactly when to let things breathe, just long enough to catch your footing before knocking your teeth back in.
Lyrically and tonally, the record spits in the face of apathy and genre purity.
‘We want to push against what our contemporaries think is the ‘right thing to do’
Mission accomplished, my friends.
Previous single 874 ended 2024 on a high note, and You Exist Because We Allow It cranks that energy to a whole new level. Melting aren’t just another heavy band, they’re a snarling middle finger to predictability. This EP isn’t neat, and it sure as shit isn’t easy listening, but that’s the point, right?
For fans of: Knocked Loose, Primitive Man, END, early Code Orange
Standout track: Into The Suffer
Rating: 9.5/10
