Review: “Between Life” EP by Typecaste

Debuting a self titled 4 track demo in August 2017 before following it up with a debut full length recorded and mixed by Evan Perino and mastered by Bill Henderson at Azimuth Studios called “Creature of Habit” in June 2018, the Boston Massachusetts 5-piece play blistering metallic-hardcore with an added dose of 90s alt-metal intensity that elevates their music into hitherto uncharted territory. The band features members of Rain of Salvation, Soul Provider and Hell of Self within their ranks, they have toured alongside the likes of Vein, Sanction and Jesus Piece and are known for their devastating live show. Lyrically, “Between Life” is a conceptual piece that ponders the spaces between life and death, such as sleep, meditation, paralysis and near-death experience while reveling in the hallucinatory limbo that such spaces create.

Opening cut “Memento Mori” translates from the Latin as “an object kept as a reminder of the inevitability of death, such as a skull.” and with hints of influences in Crowbar and Hatebreed in the guitar work and vocal delivery, Typecaste make an anthemic offering of the first track of their 3rd studio release. “Traverse” continues the flow with another suitably skull crushing affair full of headbangable hardcore riffs and chest beating attitude. The slow chug of the middle of the track occupies the space between Downtempo and Hardcore while battering the listener into submission like a prize fighter in a bare knuckle extravaganza. Vocals are relatively clean in the Jamey Jasta barked sense with a higher pitched ripper of tone kept for the backing vocals that are often just a word or phrase echo. “Hypnagogic Hallucination” refers to the state immediately before falling asleep and is a similarly battering affair, filled with big chugs and pounding rhythmic approaches that are mosh pit fodder but it’s the intelligence of the lyrics which remain after that is long said and done. The closing cut “Under The Wreath” could be taken as the end to madness that is waking up in the cold light of day or the out of body experience of someone who has died looking upon their own funeral. The addition of some post hardcore clean sung vocals against the abrasive Metallic Hardcore chugs is a left field moment that works really well and by the end, you might find yourself wanting to check out their prior releases [7/10]

1. Memento Mori
2. Traverse
3. Hypnagogic Hallucination
4. Under The Wreath

“Between Life” by Typecaste is out 7th February via Flatspot Records and is available for pre-order here