Forever Untouched

Forever Untouched plays abrasive grindcore like a mecha-metal Terminator, executing four-minute epics of blast percussion, caustic riffs, and old-school licks. The North Olmsted quintet meticulously self-produced "The Decay of the Divine" at Thanatos (that's Greek for "death") Studios in their hometown, and while the music alone resoundingly announces their presence, the lyric sheet should gives them further ascendancy over many of their peers.

The concept EP details a celestial vigilante's quest to avenge a shattered angel bearing tribal tattoos and bloody wings. In "Bathing in the Ashes of Utopia," catacombs, ashes, and wilted roses are metaphors for emotions that run deeper than angst. In the hidden track "Agoraphobic Nosebleed," FU takes the step from technical proficiency to killing technology, using studio equipment to reduce the music to naked aggression. It's an ambitious debut, and Forever Untouched pulls it off admirably.