EP Reaction: 'PHONK SLAM' by Miscreant of Malfeasance

It's no secret that the heavier side of the metal spectrum (black metal, slam, deathcore, etc.) is a little out of my personal realm of expertise, but I have enough of an appreciation for those subgenres to give anything a chance at least once. I have many acquaintances in heavy bands and have been to a lot of underground shows with this type of music being at the forefront, so while it's not something I know a lot about or listen to on a daily basis, I always enjoy getting to familiarize myself with different styles and learning about new artists. A new band that's been on my radar this year has been Miscreant of Malfeasance, an electronic slam duo consisting of Nxxses on vocals and Alex Sevigny handling the instrumental responsibilities, who recently released their debut EP 'PHONK SLAM' on October 25.

It's hard to pick a place to start when it comes to this release, but perhaps what I admire the most about this band is their sense of humor. One scroll through their Instagram page will show you that they're well aware that their style of music is an acquired taste, and it's meant to be fun and not taken extremely seriously. When it comes to certain criticisms of slam music in general, they seem to lean into those sonic aspects for even more comedic effect, which I can appreciate.

The comedy bleeds into the EP's overall tone, from the song titles to the meme samples that can be heard in tracks like "Apex" and "Xenomorph Breeding Kink," along with the lyrics themselves. Slam is known for having ridiculous lyrics, and Miscreant of Malfeasance pulls no punches with just how wild their songs can be. There's a big sci-fi element to this release that seemingly makes the lyrical possibilities even more endless, and it's hard not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the lyrics sometimes (yes, that's a compliment).

Despite the meme quality of the lyrics, the music itself is pretty captivating and interesting, blending electronic elements against heavy guitar riffs and chugging breakdowns, making for a unique sound that prevents any sense of monotony that other slam releases can suffer from. This can't be said for a lot of heavy releases, but I enjoy how the electronics don't sound like a secondary/backing instrument behind the guitars, but moreso have a life of their own and feel just as important to the sonic structure of the songs as the guitars and vocals.

Speaking of vocals, Nxxses does an incredible job of keeping things varied from a vocal perspective on this EP. He could've easily stuck to gutturals and called it a day, but he adds some different levels of harsh vocals amidst the low-tone screams, and even spits a few bars in the closing track, "Hunted to Extinction." To add to the humor and satire with the slam genre, it feels like Nxxses almost makes an effort to make the lyrics indiscernible, which I find very amusing. Now I know how my family feels when I'm listening to metalcore music around them and they say they can't understand what the vocalist is saying. Even while reading the lyrics, I found it difficult at times to follow along because of how insane the vocal delivery was, and I'm honestly impressed with how wild Nxxses was able to present those lyrics with his performance.

All in all, Miscreant of Malfeasance's 'PHONK SLAM' EP is a great time if you have a sense of humor and aren't one of those slam snobs or heavy music elitists that takes their chugs WAY too seriously. This is an impressive debut, and this band would fit right in with some of the local slam/heavy lineups here in the Carolinas. At just under fifteen minutes, this EP goes by incredibly fast, so it's not a chore at all to give it a listen, whether you're driving to work or cleaning the house. Music this heavy isn't normally my thing, but I had a blast listening through this EP, so if you already enjoy heavy music, I guarantee you'll love this release.

Stream the 'PHONK SLAM' EP here.

Keep up with Miscreant of Malfeasance here.