Review: Locusts ‘Lapsus Ab Inferno’ EP
In my escapades as a writer for The Sleeping Shaman, occasionally I will be asked if I can do a short, sharp shock piece for either a single, a premiere, or an EP that a band is putting out. It won’t be a long piece but will still manage to hit all the good stuff without a lot of the faff.
Mostly it will be for a band or artist I have no knowledge of, but this time round it’s for a band from my home county of Kent in the UK, and, full disclosure, one of its members is a friend of mine, who plays bass.
The band is Locusts, and they have just spewed out a bestial little five track EP, Lapsus Ab Inferno, unto the world. It doesn’t even last ten minutes, and very much like Jake Paul getting a beating in less than six two-minute rounds, it will smash you in the throat and leave you bloodied and bruised, although without a broken jaw afterwards.
When it’s at its height, it’s venomous, filled with spite and rage that will leave you in no doubt just as to the band’s mission, they aren’t here to take prisoners, they are here to conquer.
Opening with Nameless Grave, they ease us in somewhat gently, with a monologued soundbite atop a soundtrack of feedback and noise. It’s only forty-three seconds long, but they still manage to set the stage with a pensively uncomfortable jaunt into the void.
The real awakening is when track two, Last Chance To Die rolls in. It’s a minute and a quarter of absolute filth, an unabashed tirade of abrasive intensity. Guttural hardcore growls drive the track, while the mix of pummelling percussion and darkly rich bass underpins it all. Add to that the thrashy guitar work, which is reminiscent of more current Soulfly or Killer Be Killed, and it quickly seals the deal on just how professional this unit sounds. For a debut EP, this sounds like a band who have been together far longer than they have and shows some real understanding and heritage in the musicianship.
Forced To Watch drops things back to a slightly slower pace but compacts in density in doing so. Basslines throughout are dank and imposing, with each element of the quartet bringing their absolute A game to the table. It’s a slavering beast of a track, we aren’t even five minutes in yet, and already I feel like I’ve taken an aural beating.
an unabashed tirade of abrasive intensity…
Track four, Fall From Hell is another rollercoaster of intensity, and if you imagine a bastard offspring of hardcore and thrash, then you won’t be far off the mark. I know this style is tried and tested; some bands do it better than others, but bringing something fresh to the table is exactly what Locusts are doing. It’s vibrantly abrasive and doesn’t come across like a band forcing a crossover feel. It actually has a legitimacy to it, heard in the effortless way the band gels their sound into viable slices of venom.
Thy Flesh Consumed is the climax of the EP, and it is in no way any less intense than anywhere else. It has an old school hardcore feel and throws up shades of Vision Of Disorder in doing so. The backline is intense and volatile, the guitars screech throughout, and with a vocal that is both punishing and dripping in bile, it only serves to solidify Locusts place as the most promising band to see in 2026.
As debuts go, it is a tremendous achievement, something that is both fresh and aggressive, without sounding like it’s a band that still need to improve on their sound. Genuinely impressed, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what Locusts do next for sure.
Label: Independent
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
