I’ve been disappointed by a lot of mainstream metalcore releases recently, so right off the bat I’ll say I was pleasantly surprised that this one seriously holds up to the quality of the first singles. I first heard Showing Teeth in October 2025, when her debut single, “Labyrinth”, came out, and I was immediately hooked. That ripping, animalistic scream was instantly iconic and impossible to ignore. The internet agreed and the single quickly went viral. Then, to my shock, the next singles “Rip” and “Bad Exchanges”, actually maintained that level of catchiness, not to mention heaviness. Now finally, we get to hear the whole EP, and I’m ecstatic to say that the quality doesn’t cut for a second. “A Fate Worse than Loneliness” stands out with melodic, memorable vocals and riffs, churning drops, and even a gorgeous solo, brutal and beautiful at the same time.
The obvious highlights of this EP are the screams. Showing Teeth has a vocal style that is immediately recognizable, with growls and shrieks that follow deathcore conventions, but are much brighter sonically. They’re raw and up close, and so much more personal than any other screams I’ve heard. It’s a style that’s unique to this band, a showcase of pure talent that’s impossible to replicate. (I did try though!) Combining those shrieks with cleans as crisp as a mountain stream, thundering guitar from Zach Munowitz, and technical drumming from Periphery’s Matt Halpern, Showing Teeth has a lethal metalcore sound.
But it’s Showing Teeth’s melodic sense that makes this release so amazing. Every song is as catchy and memorable as the last, their lines repeating in my head hours later. This band displays a perfect musical intuition, dropping out at all the right times, nailing the transitions, and building masterfully into massive punches. Light and dark are balanced on a razor blade, with the blast beats and gutturals of “Bad Exchanges” contrasting the refreshing power ballad “Paradigm.” Then “Make it Out” puts those two together, with both the cleans and screams being equally sing-along worthy. I even enjoyed the minute long interlude “A&Ox1”, with its cryptic voice memo, and that’s something that doesn’t happen often!
As with all great albums, it’s difficult to pick out a clear highlight song, but I think the song I’m gonna be coming back to in 10 years has to be “Labyrinth.” That intro “yea-yea, yagh-ya!” is the definition of a signature move, and it’s instantly followed up by a head-thrashing riff. At that point I would've been unsurprised but disappointed if the song followed octanecore conventions by dropping to cleans for the verse, but once again Showing Teeth dodges a letdown by keeping the verse equally heavy. It’s only once the chorus arrives that there’s a swift cut to a gorgeous but gentle stream of cleans, that transforms into a raging waterfall on the second repeat. But I think it’s the soaring, angelic guitar in the bridge, the final repeat of that callout, and the most heart skipping breakdown of the year that really make the song for me. This is exactly what I want to hear from metalcore. Without a single gimmick it manages to be head turning for the entire runtime, and it’s an example of truly skilled songwriting.
An absolutely stunning debut, “A Fate Worse Than Loneliness” doesn’t falter once in a runtime that’s tragically only 20 minutes. This EP makes it easy to articulate what makes a song awesome, highlighting every awesome note with a spotlight. The melodies stick, the breakdowns bang heads, and every song is begging to be listened to for a different, awesome reason. This is the release every other band should be looking up to, and is absolutely my #1 for 2026.
Rating: 9/10