REVIEW: To the Grave – Everyone’s a Murderer [2024]

Artist: To the Grave
Album: Everyone’s a Murderer

Not so long ago, Australia was considered the international hotspot for all things heavy music—especially deathcore. Some time in the mid-2010s, that slowed down—but never stopped. Bands like Thy Art is Murder and A Night in Texas among others continued to carry the banner as the country’s heavyweights, but plenty of new blood sprang up as well. Case in point: To the Grave. Now several cuts deep into their discography, the band have done wonders for themselves in carving out a bloody, relentless name for themselves in the genre’s underground. On their latest full length release, Everyone’s a Murderer, the band go back to their roots, infusing pummeling deathcore with scathing riffs and punchy touches of contemporary metalcore and atmosphere. Deviating away from the nu-deathcore experiment that defined Director’s Cuts and returning to something more raunchy and aggressive while still staying true to their message—well, messages, plural: veganism and violence.

If we’re being real, Director’s Cuts was the sonic equivalent of throwing the kitchen sink at the wall and seeing what stuck. That doesn’t make it a bad record by any means, but it was a helter-skelter listening experience that had solid moments strung together with awkward infusions of nu-metal and dark hip-hop that saw the band taking a significant and somewhat unwelcome deviation from the aspects of their sound that made Global Warning an underground monolith to deathcore. Everyone’s a Murderer sees the band taking a turn once more for the harsh, blistering and metallic. Percussionist Rangi Barnes (of Babirusa and Tomb of Doom fame) keeps the entirety of the record moving along at a mile-per-minute pace (kilometer-per-minute may be more appropriate), especially with the barn-burner “DxE or Die” and the unrelenting record closer “Dead Wrong.” Barnes’ work behind the kit more than lives up to the name he’s established for himself as the backbone of countless other Australian heavy acts, dominating with colossal fills, lacerating blast beats and lightning fast kick drum segments all with equal proficiency. His foundation is bolstered by bassist Matt Clarke who adds a thick heft and murky punch to each and every one of Barnes’ bold and brutalizing drum patterns. Meanwhile, guitarists Nic Webb and Jack Simioni are responsible for much of what makes Everyone’s a Murderer feel like a stunning “return to form” of sorts for To the Grave. The duo infuse a heaping helping of brazen metallic riffing into a robust deathcore stock, giving the release a flash of “OG” deathcore flavor without feeling too nostalgic or too predictable. Some songs deviate from this slightly—the industrial “Terrormilitary” is one example, where the song builds to a slow climax. “Vegan Day of Violence,” on the other hand, is a blistering salvo of riffs and pummeling breakdowns that feels like a deathcore band drawing heavily from their hardcore and metallic roots. All in all, To the Grave’s instrumental diversity and renewed focus on good ol’ deathcore make Everyone’s a Murderer a marked musical success.
Despite the instrumental innovation that has spanned To the Grave’s discography, there is one unifying constant; vocalist Dane Evans. On Everyone’s a Murderer, Evans proves once more why To the Grave has earned the notoriety they have, and its through a monstrous array of tones, screams and bellows—all accompanied by some strong features to sweeten the deal. Evans’ performance on “DxE or Die” alongside album opener “Set Yourself on Fire (In Public)” are two of his strongest to date, and his work alongside Michael Kearney (a name I hadn’t seen in some time—but a sight for sore eyes at that) on “Dead Wrong” serves as perhaps the ideal closer for the already colossal release. Evans uses his immense power and crushing stamina to speak on animal rights and cruelty—as well as invoking violence on those who serve to his message’s antithesis. “Vegan Day of Violence” is a strong entry where this is concerned, but also one of the record’s catchiest overall cuts. “Burn Your Local Butcher” is another strong example, and “Made in Aus” serves as a more well-rounded but persistently violent example of Evans’ approach to deathcore vocals in the modern age. Evans is far from a vocal gymnast—which is meant in a complementary fashion. He doesn’t rely on tricks or gimmicks, but rather a ruthless delivery and raw, visceral intensity to keep the listener hooked on his every syllable.
Everyone’s a Murderer is a big win for To the Grave. While the commercial success of their previous full length is well deserved—and can’t be argued—it felt disorganized and haphazard in the context of their otherwise very intentional discography. The band’s 2024 full length is a prime example of renewed focus. Its only struggle is that, relatively, it is a somewhat top-heavy record, and after “Gaschamber P.T.,” the release slows a touch before its crushing closing cut. “Terrormilitary,” while a unique song, takes a little too long to build into too little and derails what would have been an otherwise strong one-two punch for closing cuts. In the grand scheme of things, though, these complaints are nitpick, and Everyone’s a Murderer remains an exceptional release from a strong, young entry in Australia’s rich deathcore bloodline.

8.5/10
For Fans Of: Oceano, Crown Magnetar, Extermination Dismemberment
By: Connor Welsh