EP Review: Slaughtersun – “Black Marrow” (Death Metal)

Written by Kirk

New years are all about exploring new things, right? And while 2025 has started off a bit more like a wet fart than anything else, I did make one resolution worth sharing: I want to start listening to more death metal. Now, while that doesn’t exactly sound like anything particularly groundbreaking for a guy who writes for an underground heavy music blog, anyone who’s been paying attention to my reviews knows that I’m Not That Much of a Death Metal Guy™️.

(Above is the band’s Bandcamp; the EP is also available on Ampwall here, where they have an exclusive physical format for sale.)

It’s not that I don’t like death metal, it’s just not a style that does a lot for me. Usually it grabs my attention for a few songs but eventually devolves into background noise. Which is absolutely and completely a “me” thing, please don’t misunderstand. Some people live to have those HM-2 riffs smooth out all the wrinkles in their brain because sometimes braining is hard. And in some ways I’m no different, I just prefer to have those slow, heavy doom riffs do the work. Also, I’m over 40 and really don’t need to pull a muscle in my neck head banging, so there are health concerns to consider as well.

However, be that as it may, I sally forth with my resolution to explore more death metal, which brings me to New Jersey’s Slaughtersun. Not quite new to the world of heavy music, they burst forth from the celestial ooze in 2023 thanks to the innovative and creative mind of Ben Karas (of Thank You Scientist and Windfaerer), who recruited fellow Thank You Scientist bandmate Cody McCorry on bass, Tombstoner’s Jason Quinones on drums, and Cranial Damage’s Justin Hillman on vocals. Wasting no time, they immediately got to work on a flurry of standalone singles; “Fall of the Firmament” dropped that December, “Relentless Thelemic” dropped a month and a half later, “Ready Cell Awaits” showed up a month and a half after that, and then “Black Marrow” arrived in early July.  Prolific, right?

There is obvious chemistry between Ben and Cody, and the interplay of their respective guitar and bass work is all over these songs.  Perhaps this should be expected, though, as they’ve been playing together in a prog rock/jazz fusion band since 2015. While there is some obvious OSDM worship going on (this is death metal, after all), it’s quite technical and progressive at times, and Cody’s bass playing comes very close to taking center stage with his thick, heavy riffs. Jason’s drumming is nothing if not absolutely and completely on point, sounding both completely unhinged and totally restrained at the same time like some kind of crazy love child between The Electric Mayhem’s Animal and Charlie Watts. And bringing it all together is Justin’s vocals, adding a somewhat raspy approach to the standard gutturals and giving these songs a blackened feel that make them just that much more unique.

So what makes their debut EP, Black Marrow, so special? Well, for starters, they took a page out of fellow New Jerseyans’ Negative Bliss’ book and remixed and remastered their singles at Frost Gauntlet Recording under the supervision of Ryan Kelly. These new mixes sound as vibrant as they do violent, and you’ll be banging your head in no time. Add to it the new song “Unearthly Propaganda” and a live performance of “Relentless Thelemic” recorded at the closing of Frightbox Recording, and you have one hell of a start to 2025. And like I stated in my review of Negative Bliss’s debut EP Everything Hurts and I’m Dying, it’s this remix/remaster treatment that helps these already killer songs really stand out.

THE BOTTOM LINE

It’s okay to not like things. No, really, it is. One of the things that makes being alive so great is seeing the ways in which art affects us all differently. And sure, I may be Not That Much of a Death Metal Guy™️, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like death metal; it just means I’m really picky about the death metal I do like. While I’m making it a point to expose myself to more death metal this year, I can tell you that I’ve found I rather enjoy progressive and technical death metal. It might have something to do with my background in and love for jazz, but those wicked time signature changes just get me, y’know? And that’s something Slaughtersun do remarkably well; they keep the pacing and tempo dynamic, really focusing in on keeping their music compelling and engaging. So even a Not That Much of a Death Metal Guy™️ like me can bang my head and say, “Hell yeah!”.