Toronto’s hardcore scene has a new brutal, hard hitting punch in Destined to Burn, a band that’s been slowly making waves since their formation in late 2022. With their roots in metallic hardcore and an infusion of old-school death metal (OSDM), this six-track EP, Bound in Sorrow, offers a relentless assault n senses. Drawing influences from bands like 100 Demons, All Out War, and Gatecreeper, Destined to Burn combines aggression, atmosphere, and technical precision.
We’re stoked to give you an early premiere of the EP, spiced up with the band’s special track by track commentary below.
The band’s members, Kev and James, have been collaborating since 2007, and their experience shines through in this release. After recruiting Blaine and Mitch from Spirit of Vengeance, the lineup was solidified. Their DIY ethos extended to the recording process, capturing Bound in Sorrow at a gym in Toronto, the Atlantic Avenue Athletic Club, with support from friends and fellow scene members.
One of the most compelling aspects of Bound in Sorrow is its cohesive structure, an interconnected journey. As the band explains, the record flows like one continuous piece, with dark themes and recurring motifs woven through each song.
The design of the limited-edition vinyl, with its red splatter and etched B-side, reflects the care and attention to detail they’ve put into the whole project.
For those hungry for a taste of what’s coming next, Destined to Burn has a three-day run lined up with Spirit of Vengeance and Bad Bet, hitting Montreal, Toronto, and Trois-Rivières. If Bound in Sorrow is any indication, these shows will be explosive.
Destined to Burn is gearing up to play as many shows as possible for the rest of 2024. They’ve locked in a 3-day run with Spirit of Vengeance and Bad Bet, hitting Trois-Rivières, Montreal, and Toronto from October 17-19. Each show is packed with friends and local heavyweights, stacking up the bills for a massive lineup.
“Our scene here in Toronto is pretty wide spread with a variety of different bands and sounds all coming together under the umbrella term “hardcore”. We are very excited for everyone to hear this new EP and we hope that everyone vibes with it!” – says the band.
You can order Destined to Burn’s new EP “Bound in Sorrow” via Hypaethral Records HERE. Available versions include limited edition one-sided 12” with etched B-Side, and red vinyl with heavy black splatter. These are limited to 200 copies.
1. Endless
James: The opener of this record is an instrumental that sets the tone in terms of how dark the rest of the record is going to be. Blaine had this cool idea to reverse the clean guitar part before it comes in, similar to Metallica’s “Blackened” and that became one of my favourite parts of the record. We included a sample that I think creates a bit of tension before everything is unleashed and again, sets the tone for what’s to come.
2. Isolation
James: The idea for this track was to unravel all of that tension created in Endless by starting immediately. If anyone listens closely to the lyrics and has checked out our previous EP, the lyrics call back to the songs on that. As the song progresses, it goes through different tempo changes while Blaine and I share vocals, ultimately culminating at this massive breakdown that calls back the second verse.
3. Dissociation
James: This was one of the last tracks that we wrote for the EP and probably the one we collaborated the most on. Kev wrote a lot of the riffs in the first verse and Blaine helped out with the lyrics. It wasn’t until we were almost ready to send everything off to be mixed and mastered that we had the idea of bringing in Rez Dog from Spirit of Vengeance for guest vocals. If I recall correctly, it came about by him just sending me his verse out of the blue.
4. Sorrow
James: Probably my favourite song on the record! This song came about one day when I was just messing around in my recording setup. Once the intro riff was written, the rest came pretty naturally. This is also one of my favourite tracks lyrically.
Blaine: The heaviest and I’d say darkest song on the EP. It’s my favorite as well. We didn’t use a lot of samples with this EP but I think this one fits perfectly and really adds to the overall vibe of the track.
5. Destined to Burn
Blaine: Everyone loves a classic “band name title track” so that’s exactly what we did. Brought this song back from the demo and re-recorded it with the new lineup. As we get more and more gigs under our belts, we hope this is the one that wins the crowds over with dog piles, mic grabs, and of course, stage moshing and diving!
6. Denial
Blaine: We made this just for everyone to pop off at shows. Mitch hits super hard on the kit and when we played this for the first time in Toronto, the room turned into a war-zone.
