EP Review: Killerkorp – Vices (Self Released)

Hailing from Suffolk in the UK, extreme metal/hardcore band, Killerkorp, will release their brand new EP, Vices on the 13th of December.

Vices will be the band’s follow up to their 2019 EP titled Pain. An EP that really launched them as one to watch. The years since then, aside from the obvious Covid times, has seen the band really work hard to make a mark. Countless shows along with a couple singles in The End and Death Day have helped cement their place in the UK underground scene, gathering a reputation for intense and energetic live performances. With the single Death Day being their latest release though, and that being from mid 2022, this new slab of metal is welcome and maybe a little overdue.  You have to keep the train rolling and Killerkorp are doing exactly that, dropping Vices at the end of the year so it is set up nicely as a launchpad to propel them into 2025.

A year you feel could be a big one for the 5 piece with Vices giving them more material to hammer crowds with live and to further strengthen their growing reputation.

In their own words, Vices is:

“A fierce display of Emotion and Melancholy”

And that, while brief, really does say it all. Coming with 4 tracks on the release and starting straight off with the title track, Vices, Killerkorp we get a surprisingly atmospheric start that builds you in nicely before the intensity ramps up in an explosion of drums, riffs and killer vocals. The drums use a repetitive beat to hammer you until you can’t take it anymore before a switch up applies release with a layer of groove and rhythm that is sure to get heads banging and pits swirling. Heavy and intense, it definitely is, but there is depth here too and you get a strong sense of emotion and frustration. That grows as the song continues to transform and twist through rhythmic sections, breakdowns and even a touch of classy melody.

Last Gasp slows things down a bit hitting us with an intro full of groove and bassy goodness. The vocals are strong – heavy and rough in a hardcore style. Again I’m really impressed with how the song twists and turns as it moves with the pace changing up, moments of bass led rhythm, slower sections, let loose sections but it all feels natural and keeps the song fresh and exciting all the way through. This is the sound of a band who have found their place and everything is coming together perfectly.

Up next we have Scathed. A short blast track that is going to be killer live. Killerkorp deliver plenty of groove still in an angry song that demands movement. Raw emotion pours out of the speakers through the power and passion of the vocals. The drums lead the charge again backed by intense riffs and thick bass in a song that is over before you know it bit leaves a lasting impression.

So we reach the end of Vices with the track, Weak. A song that shows a different side to Killerkorp demonstrating even more ingenuity and creativity then we have seen so far, and there has been plenty. It’s an emotional song that runs with clean vocals in the verses alongside a slow tempo and melancholic melody. There is an almost Deftones touch to it at times. As the verses run by, the song builds and builds in anger and intensity until it explodes into life, hitting us hard with metallic guitars and aggressive vocals while maintaining that headbanging, doom like tempo. There is plenty of time for little change ups too in this 6 minute plus song. Little dapples of melody, blasts of speed and a huge rhythmic section backed by intense growls and roars will finish off any remaining neck muscles.

It’s a fiery and furious track that epitomises that statement from the band the contained “a fierce display of emotion and melancholy. Killerkorp have delivered a really cool EP in Vices that showcases some serious talent and creativity. It isn’t a revolution, from the band, but there is definite evolution. In the structural intelligence of the tracks and EP, their ability to keep you engaged throughout any length of song and you get the sense that the band have found a sound and style that suits them and represents them honestly. I’m not saying they didn’t have that before, only that as time goes by, people change, and their sound often has to change with them to represent where they are today. If this is where Killerkorp are, sound wise, as we head into 2025 soon, then we are all in for a treat.

Vices is a very accomplished EP that will keep you interested from the first note to the last and leave you wanting more. Support these guys, and the UK underground metal scene by preordering Vices from Bandcamp, here, or presaving it on Spotify, here.

Killerkorp Links

Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – TikTok – Merch – YouTube