As a music journalist, every now and then little gem hits your inbox and you cannot wait to share it with the world. This is what happened with Thai metalcore band G6PD emailed me their latest EP ‘All Eyes Under God’. After being absolutely blown away by their performance at Bangkok’s Rock Alarm Festival (check the review here)- I could not wait to dive into this one.

Hailing from Chiang Mai, the opening track ‘Dying Sky’ talks about the environmental impacts that large corporations are having on the region. Somewhat topical as we see the region being devastated by some of the impacts of climate change. As heavy as the lyrical content is, the music follows suit. Giving us driving riffs, layered with traditional Thai instrumentation, the song immediately draws you in. The perfect introduction the EP and has you hooked from the jump.

The next track ‘The Red Falls’ opens with an offering to the thunder god with some hard as hell drumming and catchy as hell guitar riff. Hitting right to your core, it follows a template that has a real Slipknot vibe fused with that mid ‘00s metalcore sound. The maniacal laughter after the first chorus is spine tingling and immediately drags you into a ferocious verse. Frontman Tel flexes his vocal diversity in this one too, showing us some deep gutturals. Ultimately this one is a real headbanger.

‘Another Light’ follows suit seamlessly, with a pretty little guitar section to lull us in but they do not waste time bringing up the ferocity. Snarling vocals ripping through dual guitars- it’s as classic as it is masterful. As somebody who started listening to metalcore in 2005, it is so refreshing to be able to hear the complexity of the guitars and the heaviness of the songs been driven by the rhythm section and not mainly the chugginess and distortion of down tuned guitars.

I will be honest the song that really drew me into G6PD was the next track ‘Outcasts’. Released as a single earlier in the year, it features Thai hiphop artist VKL and it is just a goldmine of creativity. Such a clever fusion of electronic elements, nu-metal guitar riffs, a melodic metalcore style chorus and traditional drumming, plus of course the rap feature, it is a highlight of the album for me. Plus, the breakdown? Absolutely NASTY. It is a different take on the current nu-metalcore trend, and it is such an earworm of a track. This one will get stuck in your head. Also, extra points for the rap feature being in Thai- I am a sucker for bands using their native language in their music- it just adds so much more authenticity and soul to the music.

Closing it all out is the EP title track, ‘All Eyes Under God’ and they finish off HEAVY. Giving us a ruthless metalcore track laden with vicious growls, shredding guitars and a furious rhythm section, it is a song made for the circle pit. Just as you think it is going to slow down, it then takes it faster and heavier, eventually giving us the most brutal breakdown on the EP. Stopping abruptly, it leaves you with a taste of having to spin it all over again.

Everything about this EP just hits. Production wise, it is very well done too. There are moments where I do feel like it can get a bit muddy and perhaps this a personal preference, I would like the vocals to brought up a little in some sections- especially with the deep gutturals. I know this band does have a cult following in Thailand, but it is almost criminal that they have not broken out more. This EP is full of gems that would appeal to a broad spectrum of heavy music fans and will definitely be receiving regular rotations in my playlist.

Rating: 9.5/ 10
Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)
The EP is out now through VOM Records, listen here.