Today, New England hardcore band WAR CRIMINAL share their new single and music video “Unforgiving.” The single accompanies the announcement of the band’s sophomore EP, God Failed Me, set for release on December 16th. “Unforgiving,” which features guest vocals from Josh Compton of Forced Under, hits heavy from the start with menacing guitar lines before jumping into vocalist Ryan Hill’s gruff approach as he sings about betrayal by a friend. The performance-style music video was directed by Eduardo Ruiz and shot at Philadelphia’s abandoned Graffiti Pier, giving an added grimey undertone to the track.
Speaking on “Unforgiving”, the band stated: “Unforgiving was the last song written for the EP, and one we’re very proud of. We made a conscious effort to take influence from both classic and modern day bands for the song. It’s a good indicator of the sound we hope to continue with moving forward.”
On their upcoming EP, God Failed Me, War Criminal rips through five in-your-face tracks that delve into the band’s personal experiences of betrayal, loss, and depression. Recorded with Evan Sammons (The Contortionist, Kaonashi), each track brings a dark, evil, & heavy turn to hardcore with morbid lyrics, thrash riffs, and hard-hitting drums. While sonically God Failed Me is truly a hardcore record, lyrically the band goes more in-depth than your average approach. “False Hope” centers around the want to believe in a “god”, but eventually resenting the notion completely because of a life dealt with negative experiences. Dealing with this despondency carries along to other tracks on the EP, including “No Way Out” and “Smile Lines”, both centered around different aspects of depression and hiding your true emotions. With God Failed Me, War Criminal has crafted the perfect response to a tumultuous year. You can pre-order a digital copy of the record via Bandcamp now and physical pre-orders will launch on November 27th.
