Check out the new song from Long Island/New York hardcore crushers Total Meltdown, “The Spell,” premiering via a cool animated video.
Based in both the Long Island and New York hardcore scenes, Total Meltdown will release their highly anticipated second EP on June 26 through the legendary New York hardcore label Wreck-Age Records.
Total Meltdown bring together four lifelong participants in underground culture, bonded through a shared passion for hardcore, punk, metal, hip-hop, graffiti, art, and DIY ethics. Their sound reflects the diverse influences and experiences that shaped them throughout their years in the New York underground.
At the center of the project is drummer and songwriter Chris Enriquez, whose extensive résumé includes work with On the Might of Princes, Spotlights, Julie Christmas, Orange 9mm, and Primitive Weapons. A native New Yorker, Enriquez was deeply influenced by the city’s vibrant hardcore scene from an early age.
In 1996, Enriquez met vocalist Ralph Torres outside a now-legendary show at CBGB featuring H2O, Crown of Thornz, Inside, and Floorpunch. The two quickly became fixtures in the local hardcore community, attending countless shows together throughout the years. Recognizing Torres’ passion for the culture and energy of hardcore, Enriquez spent years encouraging him to front a band. In 2020, he finally succeeded by writing and recording material specifically tailored to Torres’ influences and vocal style.
Their new EP’s first single, “The Spell,” channels the intensity of Merauder and Cro-Mags while maintaining the melodic aggression associated with Burn and Leeway. The follow-up single, “Syntax,” draws inspiration from Rorschach, Born Against, Deadguy, and Mind Over Matter. Additional tracks continue to showcase the band’s broad range of influences, with “The Ash” reflecting elements of Stillsuit and Quicksand, “Blame Me” incorporating shades of Quicksand, Die 116, and Helmet, and “Far Gone” recalling the spirit of Indecision and Milhouse.
“Inspired by Chuck Berrett’s original paintings created for the album artwork, the video for ‘The Spell’ expands those images into a surreal dreamscape of towering stone faces, flooded ruins, endless stairways, and decaying monuments,” the band say. “The story follows a single figure encountering different versions of himself throughout various stages of life as he moves through a world shaped by anxiety, obsession, self-doubt, and psychological struggle. Blurring the line between reality and nightmare, the video explores themes of mental health, isolation, and the fight to break free from destructive thought patterns and reclaim control. The video was directed, edited, and animated by Total Meltdown bassist Drew Kassl, using Berrett’s artwork as the foundation for the visual narrative.”
Tour Dates
- Sunday, June 28@ Amityville Music Hall (Long Island, NY) w/ Spitbal, The Great Lie, Wing Walker and Firing Squad
- Sunday, July 12@ Bowery Palace (Manhattan, NY): NYHC Chronicles presents: Fail You, Nailed to the Cross (members of 25 Ta Life), Ill Raised, Carlos the Chords and Hedzo
- Friday, August 14@ Space Ballroom (Hamden, CT) w/ DMIZE, Overthrow, Neighborhood Shit and Act of War
