KILLING PEACE – HCPM

vote
7.5

• Bands:
  KILLING PEACE
• Duration: 00:17:41
• Available from: 02/16/2026
• Label:

• Triple B Records

Just under four years after their debut, a self-titled mini released independently and shortly after reissued by Triple-B Records, Killing Pace return with “HCPM”, an EP that confirms and at the same time radicalizes the identity of the Richmond quintet. Seventeen minutes that flow like a continuous electric discharge, in which the band manages to push even further that precarious balance between hardcore and extreme metal that had immediately marked its stylistic signature. It's not so much a question of contamination, but of attitude: Killing Pace sound hardcore in posture, in anger and in synthesis, but they delve without hesitation into the vocabulary of death-grind and thrash, transforming the songs into short and resolute detonations, without frills.

The comparison with Nails and Ingrown is inevitable, today perhaps more than in the past. The production is dense, full-bodied, capable of conveying all the rude energy of the group without sacrificing the clarity of the rhythmic connections. But where “HCPM” really tries to raise the stakes is in the extremes of certain choices: the accelerations become more brutal, the riffs sharper, the general tension constantly on the verge of exploding. It's as if the band has chosen to abandon any comfort zone, pushing itself towards a more extremist and militant sound. In this sense, the presence of Antichrist Siege Machine in a piece like “War Machine” does not represent a simple featuring, but a declaration of intent. The song, as well as other ideas scattered here and there in the tracklist, almost becomes a brazen crossover between metalcore and certain derivatives of contemporary war metal, a moment of rupture that further amplifies the overall aggressiveness of the album. Yet, despite the seemingly uncontrolled fury, Killing Pace maintain a strong connection with the hardcore school: breakdowns, sudden grooves and rhythmic openings that allow the pieces to breathe just enough to be memorable. The main merit of “HCPM” lies precisely in this ability to keep chaos and control together: each track seems designed to strike quickly, but still leaves room for effective riffs and rhythmic solutions capable of staying in your head. The frenzy is the form, the groove is the substance: a combination that makes listening immediately captivating and which testifies to a band today more aware of its means.

All things considered, “HCPM” is a coherent work, ferocious and mature in its extremism. Killing Pace demonstrate that they have riffs, breakdowns and audacity in abundance, creating a work – almost a full-length by the standards of certain genres – that sounds like a manifesto. A new business card that is difficult to ignore, capable of reiterating how the group is now a stable and increasingly credible presence in the contemporary hardcore scene.