Face Yourself are one of my biggest discoveries of 2025. Even though the band has been going longer than that, they have only just landed on my radar. In a time where Deathcore or whatever label we are giving it this week is considered old hat, Face Yourself have found a way to bring something fresher to the table.
Martyr is a shade under 15 minutes and absolutely wastes no time at all getting in and getting out. This is a ferocious e.p full of brain bludgeoningly heavy new gen Death Metal. Rightfully so a lot of the praise with go to the exceptional Yasmine Liverneaux and her incredible Vocal gymnastics. Sounding like a possession victim while employing at least 3 or 4 different vocal styles, often in the same song is a mighty impressive feat and it definitely sets her apart from the rest of the pack.
Not that the band themselves are slouches of course. By combining enough new elements with the tried and tested Death Metal/Deathcore sounds ensures there is enough ingenuity here to keep things from feeling stale. Predatory is a great example of this, opening with an almost drum & bass style loop that catches you off guard, especially after the more straightforward smash & stomp of opener Primal.
Sideration is the closest they get to having what could be considered a catchy single and even that feels like taking a buzzsaw directly to the brain. Face Yourself are band that clearly loves all aspects of the Death Metal & Deathcore subgenres and they aren’t afraid to acknowledge that and draw inspiration from it, while also not retreading the same familiar tropes. They have created what is arguably one of the leanest, meanest and most interesting extreme metal releases to come out in some time and with the creativity they have shown on full display here, they provided a tantalising tease of what they are capable of going forward, putting their debut full length very high on my list of anticipated releases whenever it materialises.
If, like me you have been previously oblivious to the existence of Face Yourself, then do yourself a favour and give the Martyr E.P a spin. It’s a brutal uncompromising 15 minutes is new gen extremity done by a band that could very well be the saviours of a dying scene.
Martyr is out now via Sumerian Records. For more information om Face Yourself head here
