Published: January 1, 1970
Brutal metallic sludge outfit MASTIFF will release their Deprecipice full-length on March 22nd via MNRK Heavy.
Everything MASTIFF does is in the name of intensity. Since forming amid the misery of Kingston-upon-Hull in 2013, the UK five-piece have crashed extreme metal, sludge, and hardcore together to create the most brutal sonic onslaughts possible all in the name of keeping their music fresh, raw, and seething.
Signing to MNRK Heavy three years ago, MASTIFF’s commitment to blunt-force aggression remains untempered. Their 2021 album, Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth, was described by Blabbermouth’s Dom Lawson as a, “horrifying slab of disgust,” and a, “sustained scream in the face of uncontrollable madness.” Now comes its long-anticipated follow-up: Deprecipice – an album that, somehow, smacks even harder than anything this band has unchained before, produced by longtime collaborator Joe Clayton (Wallowing, Ithaca, Tuskar) at Manchester’s No Studio.
“We’ve gone quite a lot towards a hardcore sound,” says vocalist Jim Hodge. “Where the last one was more death metal, this one’s a lot more staccato: a lot more defined, riff-wise.”
Unlike so many of their extreme metal peers right now, though, MASTIFF didn’t source this rejuvenated savagery from the anxieties and frustrations of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the lockdowns ended and real life started to resume in 2021 and 2022, Hodge and guitarist/vocalist James Lee Ross noticed the spirits of the world around them lifting. Feelings of trauma and isolation were beginning to enter people’s rear-view mirrors – and it was an overcoming that the duo couldn’t relate to. Ross was mourning the loss of his mother, while Hodge realized he was still grieving over the death of his five-day-old son, Isaac, in 2010.
“The album’s called Deprecipice, and that pretty much sums up where me and James were when we wrote it,” says the singer. “We were both standing back on the edge of a depressive void.”
The first single from Deprecipice is the furiously aggressive “Serrated,” featuring the blistering vocals of Harry Nott, the vocalist for South London’s Burner who’s debut It All Returns To Nothing was one of the hottest debut albums of 2023 featuring in Metal Hammer’s 10 Best Death Metal Albums Of 2023 and 50 Best Albums Of 2023, released on Church Road Records. Also appearing on the song, ripping a Slayer inspired solo, is Dan James, guitarist from Hull band XIII, who played with MASTIFF on their 2023 tour with theatrical metallers, Avatar.
Elaborates Hodge, “The track lyrically is about the ‘bullshit machine;’ people blowing smoke up your arse but you trying to stay grounded. It’s too easy to fall foul of the reverse of imposter syndrome. We met Harry and the Burner boys when they came to Hull when they were supporting Employed To Serve and it turned out Burner were fans of us and after about 30 seconds of them playing we all became some of their biggest fans too.”
Adds Nott, “‘Serrated’ is a relentless track and the vibe clicked instantly - went in the studio and smashed it in a couple of takes with some quickly penned lyrics. MASTIFF is the epitome of darkness, so I went hard on some apocalyptic imagery.”
Deprecipice Track Listing:
1. Bite Radius
2. Everything Is Ending
3. Void
4. Cut-Throat feat. Ethan Lee McCarthy (Primitive Man)
5. Skin Stripper
6. Serrated feat. Harry Nott (Burner) & XIII
7. Worship feat. Yersin
8. Pitiful
9. The Shape
10. Thorn Trauma
To support Deprecipice, MASTIFF will hit the road in March touring the UK, which includes a stop at London’s legendary The Black Heart, alongside UK extreme metal outfit, Yersin. See all confirmed dates below.
MASTIFF w/ Yersin:
3/22/2024 Polar Bear – Hull, UK
3/23/2024 Audio – Glasgow, UK
3/24/2024 Bannermans - Edinburgh, UK
3/27/2024 The Black Heart - London, UK
3/28/2024 Green Door Store - Brighton, UK
3/29/2024 Crofters Rights - Bristol, UK
3/30/2024 Devils Dog - Birmingham, UK
3/31/2024 Rough Trade - Nottingham, UK
MASTIFF:
Jim Hodge – vocals
James Lee Ross – guitars/vocals
Phil Johnson - guitar
Dan Dolby – bass
Michael Shepherd – drums
