Review: “Self Titled” by Breach

Featuring in their ranks members of Comeback Kid and Misery Signals, Canadian Metallic Hardcore crew Breach are a new project for which the foundations were laid in late 2024. That was when drummer Terrance Pettitt and guitarist Cole Hardy reunited with a burning desire to return to their roots and write the kind of heavy music that first inspired them to pick up instruments back in the day. They were joined by bassist Kyle Marchant who they’d worked with for over a decade across multiple projects with the trio spending months refining ideas before vocalist Luke Snider completed the lineup towards the end of 2025. Their self titled record was completed before guitarist Stuart Ross joined, cementing the line up.

Exploring growing up in broken homes, struggles with self-confidence and mental health and the experiences that have shaped them, the debut record from Breach is an intriguing prospect even before the band mention influences in Orthodox, Justice For The Damned and Whitechapel.

Opening cut “Cold” hits with urgency, aggression and hard hitting rhythm dynamics as it cuts a path through the urban jungle with a machete, finding a balance between Nu-Metal nostalgia and the Nu-Metalcore ferocity with flavours of bands like Alpha Wolf. What makes it is the little nuanced moments that rear their ugly head with each repeated listen, disappearing without a trace in wave after tsunami wave of barraging riffs. It’s a short, sharp shock that leaves you wondering what you just heard before the programmed chemical beats of “Ephemeral” surface, offering an eerie soundscape upon which the bleak lyrics are painted. Another vicious little ditty with driving aggressive riffs that build on the darkness of the atmosphere, it’s an ice cold killer from which you can hear the influence of Orthodox and Great American Ghost. Turning away from those eerie soundscapes “Parasite” is more of a straight up Nu-Metalcore cut with glitchy chugging guitars and a surprisingly catchy harsh chorus, a well worked false ending hitting so hard it will knock you into next week.

At just 83 seconds “Cave In” is the shortest of the collection and arguably the heaviest with flavours of Kublai Kahn running through its ice cold veins. It’s the strangest thing because it’s so damn good that when it stops on a dime with Snider having the final word you’re almost expecting a breakdown to hit. Instead it’s a return to ice cold programming at the start of “When Hope Dies“, a track with an introspective lyrical narrative about life not getting any easier no matter how hard you work, something which will resonate with anyone who has suffered from anxiety or depression. A cathartic release of negative energy with mosh pit filling sensibilities, it’s another power house cut in a collection which is sharper than a box full of smashed mirrors. “Contain” then rattles the cage with stuccato riff breaks and Deathcore aggression, finishing the record a push that makes you want to move while being a solid summary piece that covers all the bases of what his band are about. On this evidence this is just the start for Breach who have set themselves a high standard to maintain [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Cold
2. Ephemeral
3. Parasite
4. Cave In
5. When Hope Dies
6. Contain

“Self Titled” by Breach is out 30th October 2026 via Greyscale Records and is available over at bandcamp.