Arsonists Get All The Girls

Deathcore receives a pretty bad rap when it comes to many of the lesser acts that populate the sub-genre, but Santa Cruz, CA is lucky to have Arsonists Get All The Girls. Prior to Portals, AGATG released Hits From The Bow, a ridiculously heavy album that featured touches of grindcore, which made the album crushing. But Portals lacks the edge of its predecessor. Nevertheless, this album isn't to be taken lightly. Thematically, AGATG are floating in space, as intro song "Interdemensionary" sets an atmospheric tone before transitioning to "The 42nd Ego," which kicks things into hyperdrive with Area 51 keyboard tones while AGATG bombard with chunky guitar riffs, pig squeals aplenty and blast beats. Throughout "My Cup's Half Empty" and "Lost My Loss Of Ruin," the tempo gets cranked up but AGATG shift away from their previous grindcore flourishes; their musical style is somewhat formulaic, at times, with keyboards, breakdowns and countless squeals. While their sound change is the most obvious difference between Hits From the Bow and Portals, it's not a massive difference in AGATG's style, but it has managed to change a Star Destroyer into a Tie Fighter.