Review: “Rebirth:1220” EP by Alpha Virus

Huston Texas powerhouse quartet Alpha Virus have been incredibly prolific of late. Featuring Brendan Murphy of  Still_Bloom on bass, they dropped their debut EP “Abysswalker” in 2018 and just a couple of months later followed it up with a full length and concept album “The Neglect Effect”. Also finding the time to tour with The Acacia Strain, they parted ways with vocalist Julien Creger before embarking on shows with Angelmaker, VCTMS and Traitors. As they are preparing to do the same in 2019 with back to back EPs, we check out “Rebirth:1220” ahead of the release of “Trauma Model”!

https://youtu.be/4XX3D6oh2f4

Following and eerie haunting guitar intro that continues underneath the opening salvo of Nu-Deathcore battery in “Suicide” that loops back mid song, Alpha Virus infuse Deathcore vocals with ugly shifting pitch changes and Nu-Metal introspective lyrics with a bludgeoning set of riffs that float in the ether between Gloom and Melodic Deathcore. Comparisons to Varials are apt with the band opting to bring the thunder rather than the lightning, it’s a up tempo battering ram of an opening tune. Lyrically it is effectively a suicide note and works intriguingly well against its backdrop. Coupled with the sample “there is nothing a man cannot do once he accepts the fact there is no God” and soaked in feedback, “Texas Torture” embraces the horror film vibe with eerie atmospheric synths, a big drop and a  downtempo groove slow down that turns the floor beneath the archeological ruins to quicksand and swallows them whole. The bass heavy groove of “Loathe” with vocals that touch on the Slam territory and are clearly inspired by Tyler Shelton of Traitors brings the famed Texas heat to the arena. The riffs sound warped in places which adds a charm while the haunting melodic piano underneath the close is a choice post “Bleigh!” moment. As you might expect with an EP of short sharp shocks “Spider” closes things out with not only the longest track at 6 seconds less than 4 minutes but one that summaries musically the bands sound. Bass heavy groove and downtempo chugs are backed by some moments of sickening tensions with synths and quirky guitar moments hidden in the mix that come out to bite on multiple listens. The bass drop hidden behind the chugged riff towards the end is a moment of class as Alpha Virus want to you embrace the horror in their 13 minutes of rebirth [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Suicide
2. Texas Torture
3. Loathe
4. Spider

“Rebirth:1220” by Alpha Virus is out now