SINGLE REVIEW: Born a New – “Rat in the Room” [2022]

Artist: Born a New
Single – “Rat in the Room”

It’s wild to think that it’s been over a year since we last heard new music from Born a New. With Dura Vita, they released an astonishingly strong collection of songs that were a thoroughly abrasive and aggressive onslaught on the listener’s psyche. In the time that followed, the band announced that they would be returning back to the studio for a sophomore full length release to follow the immensely successful Eternal Isolation. Now, we get the first taste of that record in the form of the head-hammering, gut-busting single “Rat in the Room.”
In so many words, “Rat in the Room” is the riff-heavy energy and intensity found within Dura Vita, and combine it with the heartfelt lyricism that Born a New are well known for—but was especially prominent throughout the songs discussing family on Eternal Isolation. “Rat in the Room” sees the band launch out of the gate with a hard-as-nails riff that dominates overtop of sturdy, explosive percussion that, while not superfluous with technicality or intricacy, is immensely effective in bashing the listener’s skull in. Together, the guitar and drums create an immaculate, raw and primal metalcore atmosphere that is further amplified with a savage vocal element and brutally honest lyricism. Again—in so many words—“Rat in the Room” is Born a New in their most concentrated and unfiltered form, and if it’s any indication, 2022 is going to see Born a New continue their radically skyward trajectory.

 

For Fans Of: Distinguisher, Varials, Extortionist, Bodysnatcher, Degrader

Connor Welsh