REVIEW: AUDITORY ANGUISH - AFA

In one word, California quintet AUDITORY ANGUISH have devoured on their Sophomore EP AFA. Spanning only 5 tracks and a barely-over 11 minute runtime, AUDITORY ANGUISH craft memorable tracks blending wonderfully the shredding-based melodies of death metal with the unrelenting speed of hardcore.

To open is the title track AFA, which vocalist DAVID MONTES informs us stands for "Auditory Fucking Anguish" as an introduction for the first breakdown that AUDITORY ANGUISH treat us to on this EP, which bounces along its tempo set by a cowbell beat then swapping between faster and slower progressions as if lightly showing off. The first full track on the project is Chained in a Hole; the first of two exemplary hardcore track names, the second being album closer Unrelenting Blade. Chained in a Hole is also the first example of the blend between hardcore and black metal that AUDITORY ANGUISH have instilled into their work, managing to be melody-heavy while keeping the deep hardcore vocals and builds to bleeding breakdowns. 

Its follow up Clementine is punchier, leaning more into the hardcore of the soundscape: trading guitar melodies in its intro then picking it up into the first verse and breakdown to produce sweet windmill juice. Clementine is well balanced in its vocals and breakdowns, with crisp round-the-kit fills from drummer ABE MENDOZA and closes out with a cool sample of a rewinding tape, though the plughole-winding down to close it out was a disappointingly standard choice.

Tierra Santa leans more into a black metal soundscape in its introduction, though it doesn’t take long for the beat to drop and the tempo to hit an unrelenting speed. The star of this track is MENDOZA's drumming, however: the touch of using chimes in lieu of a hi-hat adds a range of sound to Tierra Santa, then as the breakdown rips into the second half the taps on the hi-hat break up the instrumental sections perfectly. Furthermore, the speed at which he hits the double bass/snare lines warrant repeat listens, then the fills themselves rocket launch around the kit in such as way you barely register MENDOZA changing the drum line completely.

Unrelenting Blade closes AFA, with a slow-turned-chaotic opening minute resolving into a chorus backed with a beautiful guitar solo that transcends into an anime-opening style movement. The final minute of AFA is a stomping build as the riffs get more frantic before hardcutting to nothing; the remaining tension feels somewhat effective, though is frustrating as the EP clicks itself off. 

AFA felt like a breath of fresh air for hardcore: an EP able to control the chaos of hardcore and incorporate the melodies and beauty of black metal without either element overpowering the other. Some of the production choices on AFA were not to taste, but as a sophomore EP this almost self-titled project feels like a perfect introduction to a quintet ready to make their name in the global scene. 

Score: 8/10

AFA will be released on November 14th 2025 via Creator-Destructor records.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: AUDITORY ANGUISH