The Black Map #210: Graphic Nature from London!

“It is a circle, there is a plan, dead skin will atrophy itself to start again. Look closely at the open wound, see past what covers the surface, Underneath chaotic catastrophe, creation takes stage. Its all been saved, with exception for the right parts. When will we be new skin?”

Metal Heads of a certain age (those who grew up in the Nu-Metal era) will probably instinctively associate the title of the debut EP from Graphic Nature with an iconic track from unleashed more than two decades ago by  Alternative Metal act Incubus. The cut in question is “New Skin“, one that appeared on the Americans DJ heavy album “Science“, an intriguing blend of Metal, Funk, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Post-Grunge that came into our lives via a Metal Hammer Magazine cover CD (remember those?) that also included something from Brooklyn Hardcore heroes Biohazard. But enough about the past. We’re here to talk about the future and Nu-Metalcore trailblazers Graphic Nature have one that is so bright it will burn your retinas.

Originally going by the name Cove, a change in style to something more akin to Gloom Metal pioneers Loathe and God Complex brought about a name change and their signing to Italian label Rude Records in the Summer of ’69 *ahem* 2019. They chose the waterfall approach, gradually releasing a quartet of singles in “Grit“, “Mortal Fear“, “Leech” and “De[in]fect” that earned them the better part of 128k of Spotify streams alone before their fierce debut. The tracks that comprised the EP were then similarly released on the waterfall style with just one remaining before the full package landed, something that experts claim can beat the algorithm of Social Media and gain more exposure. While that may work for up and coming bands, it can also have a negative impact on physical edition sales, so a balance must be struck further on down the line. We digress. The EP is a stone cold winner, one of the finest that 2022 has had to offer so far and as the extremes within the band push out, we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us with the next drop, especially if it once again utilizes the production of George Lever (Palm Reader, Sleep Token, Monuments).