Convention is heavy music is fine, and if every band went off the rails and did crazy shit, it would be really difficult to stomach. Luckily, that’s not the world in which we’re ensconced, so we do have more bands expressing extreme sounds in more interesting manners, be that sound-wise or with their aesthetic. Different is good as long as it’s genuine.

Which leads us to deathgrind ghouls Brat and their stunning debut record “Social Grace,” a 10-track, 21-minute offering that goes fucking hard. The band’s self-assigned “bimbocore” and “Barbiegrind” titles are amusing on the surface but deadly serious, and the band—vocalist Liz Selfish, guitarist Brenner Moate, bassist Ian Hennessey, drummer Dustin Eagan—makes that very apparent early on. Metal folks are weird and tied to aforementioned convention, so there’s bound to be eye rolling by those who fear a challenge. That would be a massive error. And fuck those people. This is a record full of morbid visions, disgust for the ruling class, and a deep serving of inclusion, and I love every second of that and this record.

“Ego Death” tears open, Selfish wailing, “Self-destruct, remove me from myself,” as the playing drives hard, mangling and testing, bruising as it blows by in no time. “Hesitation Wound” is another barnstormer, delivering metallic, yet sludgy riffs, raspy howls, and a trudging tempo that feels like it’s here to take off your head. “Slow Heat” brings burning playing, bass flexing, and the howls decimating, Selfish blasting, “Tempted of grandeur, tempted of fate, without salvation, hell salivates.” Strong riffs punish as the punchy, thrashing tempo loosens teeth and leave them in piles on the ground. “Truncheon” blasts through as the vocals gargle glass, and the guitars scorch and leave the earth torched. Everything turns thrashier, crushing and stomping through mud, ending in a pile of nuclear waste. “Human Offense” raises the temperature, and then things turn moody and crushing, the bass trampling, things finding a way to get even more intense. Selfish howls, “Imperfect son born of hate, a false existence etched in slate, the heart of man like bitter earth, spoiled whole, what are we worth,” raising the stakes as the track pummels thoroughly.

“Rope Drag” starts sludgy and confrontational, the guitars churning, Selfish scowling, “No foe to best, without place to rest, grip on life, stalling.” The tempo boils as the guitars race, brutality settles, and everything fades into feedback. “Blood Diamond” is punchy as hell as the drums crush bones, group shouts agitate, and Selfish’s properly abrasive howls carve flesh off your bones. Muddy and fiery, the stakes are raised quickly before a violent, abrupt end. “Snifter” bruises right away as the riffs ignite, and the vocals echo in your eardrums. “No hurt, no pain, no desire,” Selfish howls, “to feign I am released,” as the steam rises, and guttural chugs twist your guts, the guitars blistering and charring flesh. “Sugar Bastard” brings dominating riffs and a weighty hardcore feel that immediately turns up the violence. A breakdown melts bone, and then a swaggering assault paints with attitude and heat, leaving behind deep wounds. The closing title track brings encircling guitars and even a dose of doom as the cloud cover thickens overhead. “With no glory we staked our claim, an earth that hates us, we are to blame,” Selfish levels, dripping with truth, as the bass trudges, and the molten force burns you into rock formation.

There are no holds barred on “Social Grace,” Brat’s destructive debut record, and from their blazed-earth message about social and political matters as well as their devastating sound, this band is likely to make a massive mark in 2024. Sure, some might dismiss this band over their “Barbiegrind” label and splash of pink over a clearly festering wound, but not taking them deadly seriously would be a massive error. This is a scorching, violent record, one that will leave unsuspecting fools gasping on the ground afterward.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/brat504

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.prostheticrecords.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://prostheticrecords.com/