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PREMIERE: Death Vacation's 'Bones Grow Cold' Is a White-Hot Hardcore Punk Rager

The NJ/NY quartet's snarling, vitriolic take on hardcore is firmly rooted in grindcore and crust—punk to the bone, but far beyond basic.

Photo by Jess Rechsteiner

I've been listening to the new Darkthrone album, Arctic Thunder, on repeat all day, and have ignored every tempting new stream or promo or stray Bandcamp link that's landed in my inbox as a result. It took a lot to tear me away from it, but once it came time to listen to the new joint from NJ/NY hardcore punks Death Vacation, I happily hung those Norwegian OGs out to dry and dove headfirst into Bones Grow Cold, the quartet's new 5-song EP.

Death Vacation's snarling, vitriolic take on hardcore is firmly rooted in grindcore and crust—punk to the bone, but far beyond basic, especially when vocalist Michelle Mancuso sinks her teeth into a verse. Her delivery is a full-body retch, forcing sharpened syllables out of a serrated throat atop breakneck grind parts and blink-and-you'll-miss-it breakdowns. There's a melodic component here, too, but good luck finding it beneath the laywers of grime and spilled blood.

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Bones Grow Cold is out 8/24 via Serenity Now Tapes; stream it below, and keep scrolling for a list of upcoming tourdates, because you just know this Northeastern menace slays live.

Catch Death Vacation on their upcoming East Coast tour (which kicks off this week).

Aug 25th- New Haven, CT

Aug 26th- Western MA

Aug 27th- Providence, RI

Aug 28th- Philadelphia, PA

Aug 29th- York, PA

Aug 31st- Richmond, VA

Sep 1st- Ashville, NC

Sep 2nd- Atlanta, GA

Sep 3rd- Tallahassee, FL

Sep 4th- Charlotte, NC

Sep 6th- Montclair, NJ