“Thoughts and Prayers.” Everyone today knows the phrase: it’s uttered after mass shootings, when someone is diagnosed with a severe illness, natural disasters and acts of God. As you can probably extrapolate, those thoughts and prayers don’t do a whole lot and the words often come across as patronizing.
Those frustrations exploded in the form of Thoughts and Prayers, a new EP from old-school grindcore outfit Kill Division, who may be familiar to Decibel readers from their last album or because members of the band play in Megadeth, Left to Die, Gruesome and Venom Inc., to name just a few. The full EP is out on June 9 and features one original—the title track—and three covers of Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer and Minor Threat.
“It’s been a minute since Peace Through Tyranny came out,” drummer Dirk Verbeuren says. “So today, we send you our Thoughts and Prayers in the form of a brand new crusher and some jacked up cover tunes. This EP is our way of saying thanks to those who have supported Kill Division so far. It’s heavy, fast and pissed off. So crank and enjoy!”
Speaking more about the music, guitarist Gus Rios said:
“The music for Thoughts and Prayers is really all about emphasizing the “core” in grindcore. I love blast beats but heavy riffs with a solid groove can be just as effective in my humble opinion. Add Kyle’s poignant lyrics and furious delivery along Dirk’s pounding performance and Matt Laplant’s aggressive mix and I’m extremely stoked for everyone to hear this!
“The cover songs put an emphasis on what I consider the roots of grindcore, which is hardcore punk. But, of course, we did blast them up pretty good too!”
Decibel didn’t want you to have to wait to get a taste of the EP, so we’re streaming “Thoughts and Prayers” now. Pre-order ahead of its release via Redefining Darkness.
