Undeniable.

Connecticut’s Boundaries have become an ever-growing force in the metalcore scene since 2020’s breakthrough LP Your Receding Warmth. The band’s unparalleled ability to fly through monstrous riffs at breakneck speeds while never shedding an ounce of sheer unbridled fury was captivating on first listen, and this unrelenting approach to songwriting was expanded on with an increased focus on melody on 2022’s Burying Brightness. Boundaries’ sophomore album added more contrast to the mix, ensuring that the songs hit that much harder when the time was right. The record boasted several of the band’s best songs to date (the absolute mammoth “My Body is a Cage” and the emotional powerhouse that is “Burying Brightness,” among others), but it was admittedly met with mixed reactions. While this is to be expected when a band makes a noticeable change in their sound, the band seems to have responded with their newest offering Death Is Little More by doubling down on the stylistic changes from Burying Brightness while bringing the focus back to the chaotic and awe-inspiringly aggressive energy from their previous work. The result is not only a record that should serve to please fans of both records, but one that also pushes the band forward into new territories yet again.

Opener “Turning Hate Into Rage” sets the record up perfectly, frantically ripping through dissonant riffs and disgusting chugging guitars before everything eventually comes crashing down for an utterly cataclysmic final breakdown, ushered in by the lyric “this world is evil, and I am the devil.” The mechanical and crushing “Darkness Shared” follows, and although this track is somewhat familiar territory for the band, everything here is simply done better than the band has in the past. The song ends by accelerating to a dizzying pace, before cutting off and transitioning suddenly to “Like Petals From A Stem.” A hellish and ferocious track bordering on grindcore in both speed and delivery, “Like Petals From A Stem” is the first real surprise on Death Is Little More, as the band somehow manages to sound more ferocious than they ever have, and vocalist Matt McDougal comes across as absolutely maniacal over this instrumental. The album’s first single “Easily Erased” is next, a multifaceted song that pulls off the first real chorus on the record without sacrificing an ounce of aggression, pummeling everything in its path.

“Cursed to Remember” presents yet another curveball from the band, as the track kicks off with cleanly-sung vocals over an infectious guitar riff that is a bit reminiscent of a modern take on the metalcore that was popular in the mid 00s. This section quickly leads into some of the heaviest moments present on the tracklisting thus far, and it is this moment where it becomes obvious that the band has now mastered the ability to balance their penchant for earth-shattering breakdowns with these melodic sections. While this track contains quite a bit of singing, it never feels out of place or like Boundaries has shifted focus, but more so comes across as a new tool in their arsenal.

With all of this in mind, Death Is Little More truly comes to life at its halfway point, with one of the most astounding four song runs on a record in quite some time. Kicking this portion of the record off is its title track, an unrelenting behemoth that rivals the aforementioned “My Body is a Cage” for the heaviest track in the band’s entire catalog, complete with several unbelievable breakdowns and one hell of a guitar solo. “A Pale Light Lingers” largely follows suit, but this time the band utilizes some carefully placed melodic elements to create this unshakable eerie atmosphere that manages to create a more intense listen. The song builds steadily to an absurd breakdown at the end that is all-too-brief, but segues perfectly into album highlight “Face The Blade.” “Face The Blade” may be the closest the band has gotten to the sound of Your Receding Warmth since its release, and the trick still works. The spoken word section towards the end of the song builds perfectly to a cathartic scream of “What else do you want from me?” before the song ends as suddenly as it began. “Scars On A Soul” closes out this section of the record with potentially the best chorus on the entire record that somehow manages to weave between some seriously unrestrained sections without losing any momentum.

“Blame’s Burden” is a climactic and haunting song that moves through an impressive amount of different sections in its relatively short run time, all of which convey different emotions while feeling like a single thought. “Blood Soaked Salvation” is a vicious colossus of a track that is sure to cause injuries in the pit, with McDougal and Kublai Khan frontman Matt Honeycutt trading off vocal duties throughout the song’s duration over some of the most barbaric riffs of the year. Album closer “Inhale the Grief” serves as a massive and rewarding ending to the record - equal parts crushing and cathartic, while ending as abruptly as the record began and leaving a sense of emptiness in the silence that follows.

On Death Is Little More, Boundaries have perfected their craft. A record that is as dark and intense as it is haunting and emotive, Boundaries have raised the already-high bar that they had previously set for modern metalcore, while pushing the limits of the genre and making their own rules. Death Is Little More is not only an early album of the year contender for fans of heavy music, it is the sound of a band finding their sound and hitting their stride.

9.5/10