Release Date April 3rd, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Blackened Death Metal
Origin USA
Milwaukee’s metal scene has been a war zone for decades, and Relic is the latest heavy artillery to join the fray. This isn't some band of kids playing dress-up in their parents' garage; we’re talking about veteran lifers from acts like Jungle Rot, Emblazoned, and Micawber. These dudes have spent years in the trenches, and their debut EP, “Crown Of Flies”, is the result of that collective experience. It’s a short, violent burst of energy that sounds like it was forged in a basement flooded with old death metal tapes and bad intentions.
Relic plays the kind of music that makes you want to put your head through a drywall. They take the suffocating weight of 90s death metal and fuse it with the high-speed malice of black metal. The result is a sound that avoids modern trends or fake digital sheen. Instead, you get four tracks of pure auditory filth that sound like they were written specifically to ruin your hearing. It’s fast, it’s hateful, and it hits with the force of a lead pipe to the jaw.
The musicianship here is top-tier because these guys aren't interested in showing off technical wankery. The guitars on “The Void Between Gods” and “Filth Of Rebirth” focus on churning out riffs that are mean and jagged. The drumming is a relentless assault of blast beats that keeps the intensity at a boiling point. There is zero room for melody or "pretty" moments on this EP, just a few seconds. It is a focused attack designed to leave the listener exhausted by the time the final note rings out.
Vocally, the performance is guttural and demonic, fitting the blackened atmosphere perfectly. Tracks like “Scavengers Daughter” and “Iron Sacrament” demonstrate a band that is purely focused on devastation. They aren't trying to be the next big thing on a glossy magazine cover; they are making underground music for people who hate everything. The production stays raw enough to keep that basement-show energy while remaining clear enough to hear every serrated edge of the riffs.
If you want spmething short, pissed off, and devoid of any filler, “Crown Of Flies” is a mandatory listen. It is a violent introduction to a band that clearly has no interest in playing nice. Relic has delivered a debut that respects the old-school foundations while providing enough savage energy to stand on its own. It’s a brief trip into a very dark place, and it demands to be played loud enough to annoy the neighbors.
Score: 7.5
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