Integrating activism amidst a swirling mix of metal subgenres in their sequel album.

When analyzing To The Grave’s newest album, Still, released in July of 2025 from Australia’s death metal scene, one will notice that this musical work sounds extremely violent and focused on a cause. The album has a style that is continued as a sequel from their last release from 2024, Everyone’s a Murderer. It has eight tracks of heavy death metal that blends many metal subgenres, including nu metal and punk, all integrated into their death metal framework.

To The Grave’s leader is the vocalist Dane Evans, who utilizes his guttural vocals on top of making pig squeals and writing all of the lyrics for the message that he is conveying for each musical piece. Additionally, the band’s gore, hardcore sound comes from the lineup that includes Evans (lead vocals), Jack Simoni (guitars), Nic Webb (guitars), Matt Clarke (bass) and Raymond Martin (drums). The band has had quite a few members leave since its inception. However, they have established a lineup for 2025 that has solidified their brutal sound.

Focusing on the second track, “Sawed Off” exhibits the band’s capability to captivate the listener through their dynamic heavy metal  music. Additionally, the musical piece begins with low, guttural vocals, layered over the guitar distortion, aggressive turntable scratching and heaving metal chugging. Beyond the music, the song’s message could be that of the horrors of animal suffering.

Moreover, the fourth track on the album is a musical piece that immediately grabs the listener with a vigorous and powerful sound, titled “Hunters Seeking Hunters.” The song starts with sharp, militant riffs that are quickly followed up by deep, combative vocals that peak with shrill squealing. After the menacing introduction of the song, the guitars stay heavy, along with solos performed later, before the song fades off as the listener hears someone on a radio transmission.

The sixth track, “DNA (Do Not Amputate),” showcases more pronounced  drum rolls as a catchy death metal beat starts to evolve from quick, sharp guitar riffs. In the middle of the song, the lead singer speaks clearly about his anger for animal cruelty. All of the elements of the song, including the riffs varying in speed, create an intense atmosphere filled with the sense of oppression.

As a sequel, the album’s death metal sound in Still is virtually the same as To The Grave’s previous album, a choice that should satisfy their fanbase. The slam metal sound is good throughout the album however, if they could produce more sonically complex tracks, they could have elevated the work in this collection of songs. Nevertheless, most hardcore heavy metal fans will be delighted with the consistency of their sound and lyrical themes.