Chat Pile are exquisitely brutal on the bleak Who Loves the Sun

The 10-song set plunges into a relentless and riveting attack of hardcore, metal, and punk that serves to condemn not only end-stage capitalism but also, and more pressingly, the human curse of greed. If previous work lamented the state of the world – homelessness, disease, injustice – Sun damningly goes to the source, lamenting the fundamental nature of the human heart and, in terms of vocals, spotlights Raygun Busch at his most spellbindingly savage. The album launches with “Creature”, blending jackhammer drums and grungy/melodic guitars. Busch moves between despair-drenched verses and apoplectic choruses. Navigating a range of rhythms, riffs, and tones, the track stands as a breathtaking tableau (“An empty world, vast and haunted,” “Every creature led to slaughter / Every city under water”). Greed and short-sightedness have ravaged our surroundings, prompting the extinction of species after species. Will homo sapiens join that list? The result of decadence is destruction; destruction unchecked leads to apocalypse. “Let the mask become a part of your life,” Busch screams on “Deep Blue”, pointing to humanity’s myriad hypocrisies, and recalling Agent Smith in The Matrix (“Human bei...