Do you have an invitation to the Party Cannon?
Two years after their last album, Craig Robinson (guitar, Disfigure the Insane), Chris Ryan (bass, Iniquitous Savagery, Laceration), Mike McLaughlin (guitar, Agonised Deformity), Martin Gazur (drums, ex-Stabwound), and their new vocalist Daryl Boyce (Scordatura) are back in the spotlight with Subjected to a Partying, their new EP.
The EP consists of three parts: four new tracks, three “remixes,” and two songs recorded live in Glasgow in 2025. We kick things off with Parisian Bedbug and its introductory sample that explodes when the rhythm section kicks in, accompanied by the traditional growls and other guttural sounds that lead to a massive mosh pit, plenty of palm-mutes, and that unmistakable groove in the bass. The band then follows up with Thirst Trap, following more or less the same pattern. Everything about the track screams violence, even incorporating Grind/Death influences to amp up the brutality with a rather welcome pig-squeal, then we move on to High Tariff Behavior, which stays true to that cliché Brutal Death vibe we love, complete with tempo changes and other slightly whimsical touches that are even chaotic at times. We should also note this attempt at thick dissonance followed by another catchy mosh part, then Improper Use of a Speculum takes over with a touch of violence just as effective as the previous tracks, and although its length allows it to include more and more passages with piercing harmonics or moments of suspension that will help bring the crowd together during a live show before letting loose once again.
The first remix is by Kmac2021, who transforms Thirst Trap into a track with energetic Electro-Industrial roots that’s simply unrecognizable, even throwing in a brief classical music interlude—and I can’t help but agree with the final sample: “What the hell was that?!”. Low IQ Behaviour (potentially High Tariff Behaviour?) gets a Trap treatment by Frontier, who keeps only the roars in the background, and then we finally move on to High Tariff Overture, which, thanks to Ritual, becomes an orchestral remix. Certainly unexpected, but in the end… even though once again I didn’t recognize a thing from the original track, the result is great!
The live segment includes both the audience’s reaction and the vocalist’s thank-yous and birthday celebration, before High Tariff Behaviour hits with full force—ultimate proof that while the track is already very good, it’s even more promising live, and above all, that the musicians know how to play! I certainly had no doubt about it, but it’s just as reassuring on this steamroller of a track as it is on Human Slime, the title track from the previous album, which closes out the EP and which (according to the internet) was also the last song on their setlist during the Glasgow show. If you already loved it, that won’t change!
You usually know what to expect with Party Cannon: the new tracks are exactly what you’d hope for, and the two live recordings prove just how effective they are. However, I’m still just as skeptical about the remixes…
85/100