3 studio tracks from this Philly metal/punk band's upcoming LP plus some exclusive live tracks.

Our take: Philadelphia’s Early Grave’s debut LP is coming later this year, and this tape previews three tracks from that release and significantly increases the value-for-money ratio by tacking on a full live set featuring even more songs from the upcoming album. While this tape may seem like a stopgap release, I’ve been letting it run on repeat while I’m working, and it’s really gotten its hooks in me. In particular, listening to the live songs next to the studio tracks has been enlightening. Early Grave’s M.O. is writing catchy, old-school punk/hardcore songs and imbuing them with atmospheric touches borrowed from various strains of underground metal, and the two parts of the tape showcase how strong both those elements are. The live recording is very bass-heavy and reveals the songs’ solid bones, particularly the rumbling yet catchy bass lines that serve as most songs’ center of gravity. Early Grave’s bassist, Cassidy, was Devil Master’s original bassist (she’s been in many other bands over the years too), and her knack for crafting eerie yet driving bass lines is on full display. Then the tape flips back around to the studio tracks, and you realize how layered and detailed they are, dressing up that raw punk skeleton with a more precise execution and a host of subtle but impactful overdubs. I don’t think I noticed the atmospheric synth lurking in the background of “Evil Terror” until like my fifth listen, though I felt its impact on the song’s haunting atmosphere well before I noticed it. Maybe the upcoming album release will render the studio portion of this cassette obsolete in a few months, but in the meantime this will get a ton of play.