Rating: 9 / 10 Stars
FACE YOURSELF is: Yasmin Liverneaux Belkhodja (vocals), Thomas Cardone (guitar), Corey Doremus (guitar & backing vocals), Dave Ricco (lead guitar), Kyle Muenzner (bass & backing vocals), Eric DiCarlo (drums)
REVIEW – FACE YOURSELF isn’t just back—they’ve returned with fire in their lungs and venom in their riffs. Out April 18th via Sumerian Records, the ‘Martyr’ EP is a blistering five-track display of technical deathcore precision and unrelenting emotional force. After a brief hiatus in 2024, the New York-based unit sounds leaner, meaner, and more focused than ever. Produced, mixed, and mastered by genre titan Joey Sturgis, ‘Martyr’ captures the chaos and catharsis of modern deathcore while evolving the band’s identity into something both brutal and deeply intentional.
“Primal” opens the EP like a war cry—short, feral, and immediately immersive. At under two minutes, it sets a menacing tone with grinding guitars and Yasmin’s guttural howls tearing through like a sonic exorcism. It’s a ritualistic call to arms, preparing listeners for the sonic onslaught to follow.
“Predatory” explodes with relentless tremolo picking, breakdowns that crash like tectonic plates, and rhythmic syncopation that punches with mathcore intensity. Yasmin’s vocal performance is electrifying—shifting effortlessly from piercing highs to animalistic lows—while the guitars from Ricco and Cardone cut and coil around Muenzner’s dense low end. Lyrically, it’s a descent into control, power, and survival—leaning heavily into the metaphor of predator and prey.
“The Poet” stands out as a more experimental offering, blending ambient textures and layered vocal harmonies with pounding riffs and blast beats. It showcases the band’s growing maturity, allowing melody to briefly breathe before diving back into chaos. Corey Doremus’s backing vocals provide an eerie melodic counterweight to Yasmin’s raw aggression, building a dynamic that feels both poetic and pulverizing.
“Saboteur” goes straight for the throat. With twitchy tempo changes and devastating drum work from Eric DiCarlo, this track captures FACE YOURSELF’s sheer technicality without sacrificing groove. It’s a masterclass in balancing atmosphere and destruction. The band’s interplay here is next level—fluid, intricate, and designed for the pit.
Finally, “Sideration”, the lead single, closes the EP with a cosmic level of intensity. The track swells with tension, only to detonate into a crushing breakdown that feels both cinematic and suffocating. Yasmin’s delivery is otherworldly—both commanding and tortured—channeling existential dread into a cathartic purge. If Martyr is a reckoning, “Sideration” is the abyss staring back. You can check out the video for “Sideration” here: [INSERT VIDEO LINK].
Across its runtime, ‘Martyr’ feels like a band reborn—leaner, darker, and sharper. FACE YOURSELF isn’t just content to scream into the void—they’re shaping it. With Sturgis’s pristine yet punishing production, this EP captures a band in total control of their sound and message. For fans of Lorna Shore, Shadow of Intent, or Make Them Suffer, this is required listening.
For more information on FACE YOURSELF, visit:
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www.YouTube.com/@FaceYourselfOfficial
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www.Spotify.com/Artist/FYourselfBand
