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7.0
- Bands:
GLASSBONE - Duration: 00:20:32
- Available from: 02/13/2026
- Label:
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Frozen Records
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Iron Fortress Records
Streaming not yet available
If it is true that these days the death-core label first and foremost leads one to think of hyper-edited and trendy realities, fortunately an underground circuit continues to exist where this definition is anything but synonymous with immoderate gimmicks, symphonic flourishes or viral videos on TikTok.
Musicians who, indiscriminately in love with the heaviness of death metal and the dynamism of certain hardcore, bring out a rough, frank and visceral crasis, which does not try to please the public, nor even to dilute its own speech, rather providing a hypothetical soundtrack for an urban guerrilla or an explosion of existential malaise.
Glassbone, from Paris, undoubtedly fall into the category just described, and with the new “Ruthless Savagery” they are preparing to take an important step forward in the definition of a hostile and rhythmic sound, capable of bringing to mind that of pillars of ignorance such as Xibalba, Nails and Kruelty.
Raised on the streets of the French capital, already home to a manifesto of the most violent and apocalyptic metal-core such as Kickback, the boys follow a policy of small steps which, after “Deaf to Suffering” in 2024, translates into another EP with barbaric and stentorian tones, in which their metal armor thickens further, recalling precisely the evolution accomplished by the authors of “Hasta la Muerte” and “Tierra y Libertad”.
The six songs in the tracklist – introduced by the usual, evocative artwork by Paolo Girardi – see the quintet move almost entirely towards death metal registers, with a guitar work with a ferocious and structured edge, a ruthless vocal approach and the hardcore component that resists above all in the street atmosphere and in some rhythmic choices (listen to the breakdowns), for about twenty minutes which, if on the one hand do not present anything truly characteristic (especially for fans of the groups mentioned or of people like the Australians Justice for the Damned), on the other they never fail to sound effective, fluid and powerful, as well as encompassed by exemplary production.
Gym music that isn't content to indiscriminately beat up anyone who comes within range, immortalizing a band that is growing from a technical and compositional point of view to evidently have its say within the genre, and which no longer seems to be missing anything to create a full-length of substance.
Killer episodes like the opener/title track, “Dryin' Up of Their Blood” or “Apostasy Imperium”, moreover, speak clearly: Glassbone did not appear on the scene to play the role of extras, and “Ruthless…” is here to reiterate it, configuring itself as a minor release only on paper.
Listen to it in one sitting and prepare to be crushed.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
