REVIEW: Corpse Pile – In the Beginning… [EP]

Artist: Corpse Pile TX
Album: In the Beginning… – EP

It’s been a while since I’ve read the book of Genesis (see: never), so I’m not too sure on how it goes verbatim, but I think just about everyone knows that first phrase:

In the Beginning…

Again, I’m not particularly well-versed when it comes to the bible, but I’m pretty sure what comes after that weighty opening line isn’t about brutal death metal—even if it would be a whole lot cooler if it was. Despite this—or maybe in spite of this—Texas brutal death metal (and hardgore death metal) act Corpse Pile TX (stylized as Corpse Pile for the remainder of the article) invoke Genesis’ preamble in their long-awaited 2025 EP, In the Beginning…. A brief collection of tracks that lashes out with an indiscriminate and distinctly Old-Testament brand of wrath and fury, In the Beginning… is the less polished but more direct and abrasive counterpart to the band’s 2024 release Hardgore Deathmetal. Focusing on channeling a crunchy, grinding and ferociously dissonant style that blends riff-driven death metal with its groovier, raunchier slamming counterpart, In the Beginning… is a release as riveting as it is brief and ruthless, giving the listener an outstanding 15-minute long crash course on unapologetically abrasive death metal that sits like a master-level thesis.

In the Beginning… is, as most records in this vein of heavy music should be, built on riffs. Each track is home to barbaric, bone-shredding riffs that manage to stay firmly entrenched in the listener’s head—catchy in a way that only really brutal death metal can be. “Genesis of Suffering” kicks the record off appropriately—a back-and-forth of wet-flesh-hitting-cold-concrete slams and razor-sharp fretwork that rends skin from flesh and bone. This dynamic builds throughout the release, with each track digging into the listener in different ways, even if the tactics and weapons used are largely the same. “Stacking Bodies,” alongside “Kicked in Cadaver” feel like the biggest and most anthemic cuts on the record, with barrages of slams and breakdowns so dense and blunt they could grind dinosaur bones to dust without breaking a sweat—but the biggest difference and evolution on In the Beginning… doesn’t necessarily come from harder slams or heavier breakdowns. While Hardgore Deathmetal was prolific in its heaviness by its own right, In the Beginning… veers more into the death metal resurgence in its influences, letting riffs like those on “Vengeful Hymns” and “For Flesh and All” get carved with jagged nails into the listener’s conscience. In the Beginning… opts for a more raw and gritty sound that amplifies the riff-first-ask-questions-later approach taken by Corpse Pile, which in turn lends even more weight to the moments of barbaric brutality defined by—you guessed it—huge slams; truly a rising-tide-lifts-all-ships situation.

While a refined and focused approach to lacerating fretwork, blistering percussion and production that leans shoulder-first into raw, brutalizing death metal does a great bit to make In the Beginning… a stand-out effort from Corpse Pile, it would be a cardinal sin to overlook the band’s vocal approach. Comprehensively and consistently grotesque, dominating with a lurid and grisly guttural bellow, Corpse Pile’s vocal element lends both heft and filth to an already weighty-and-filthy release. “Kicked in Cadaver” is a personal favorite when it comes to Jason Frazier’s vocal dynamics—but that doesn’t make “Fed to the Starved” or “Genesis of Suffering” any less remarkable. Frazier’s low roars and mid-range yells sound even more primal and packed with fervor in the setting of an equally primal and denuded production, amplifying grit and vitriol both.

In the Beginning… is an immolating and all-encompassing release when it comes to brutal death metal and its hardcore (hardgore?) stylings. Frenzied riffs, furious slams and breakdowns and vocals that sound as though they’re beckoning the apocalypse. There simply isn’t much more one could want—or need—from a release within this style of music, except maybe a little more runtime. For that reason, even if there wasn’t death metal in the beginning, Corpse Pile seem damn intent on ensuring it’ll be there at the end.

9/10
For Fans Of: Devourment, Drowned in Concrete,
By: Connor Welsh