Review / 200 Words Or Less
Feral King
Self Titled

Last Anthem (2012) Jon E.

Feral King – Self Titled cover artwork
Feral King – Self Titled — Last Anthem, 2012

Feral Kings' self-titled EP comes from a couple of guys that know how to do what they're doing and do it pretty damn well, and it is not necessarily anything new. If you're familiar with the band members’ previous efforts what they do on this record should come as little shock. Containing members of Spitfire and The Takeover (among others), the band plays a style of Deadguy-influenced noisecore without any pretense. 

Within the first few seconds any fan worth their salt will known what they're in for: screeching riffs and vocals coupled with pounding drums. While most of the well known bands currently running this style try extra hard to be artsy and self-obsessed, Feral King would rather not bother. It is all unfiltered rage in which the noise drenches the listener each step of the way to make the anger palpable. 

This EP lasts about 8 minutes, which is all the band needs to make an impression. If you miss Botch but not the bullshit posturing of newer bands with twice the cuteness and half their skill, you would do well for yourself to seek this out. These are experienced guys putting together something that is comfortably familiar without being comfortably stale.

7.5 / 10Jon E. • May 20, 2013

Feral King – Self Titled cover artwork
Feral King – Self Titled — Last Anthem, 2012

Related news

Feral King and Lonely Ghost Parade to release split

Posted in Records on December 14, 2012

Recently-posted album reviews

Lethal Limits

Elevate EP
GhettoBlaster Productions (2025)

The archival hunt for the "missing links" of first-wave California punk usually leads through a trail of grainy handbill Xeroxes and tape traders' overdubbed copies. But with The Flyboys, the story has always been a bit more elegant—and a lot more colourful. Long before they were swept into the gravity of the Hollywood scene, frontman John Curry was already performing … Read more

The S.E.T.

Self Evident Truth
Flatspot Records (2026)

Hardcore doesn’t need reinventing; just needs conviction. On Self Evident Truth, Baltimore’s The S.E.T. come out swinging with a debut EP that’s built on exactly that. It’s got groove, urgency, and a clear sense of purpose. Clocking in at around fifteen minutes, the EP wastes no time establishing its identity. From the opening moments of “This Chain,” it’s all forward … Read more

Dashed

Self Titled
Independent (2026)

When a band describes themselves as surf punk, it usually conjures a certain image. Reverb drenched guitars, sunburnt melodies, maybe even a sense of looseness that leans more carefree than chaotic. Dashed doesn’t really fit that mold. On their self-titled LP, they take those familiar elements and run them through something colder, sharper, and far less predictable. Across eleven tracks, … Read more