Villains of Nowhere aren’t out to make you a fan of metal. There’s nothing on their debut ep that will entice you to the genre if you’re not already interested in pummeling rhythms, shredding guitars, and aggro vocals. If that’s your jam, however, Villains of Nowhere is here to provide the goods. This is straight ahead, true-to-the-genre heavy metal that checks every box.

There is a bit of nostalgia to their sound reminiscent of metal’s early-nineties heyday – specifically echoes of Megadeth, sans Dave Mustaine’s vocal theatricality. Part of this callback stems from the production. This was clearly recorded in a studio, but the music remains unadorned by frivolous gimmicks. The clarity of the tones, absence of effects (other than shredding distortion) and the vocals-forward mix recall a grunge-era approach. At times there’s an Alice in Chains like sweetness to their Pantera-era punch. The recording sounds like it intended to capture their performances rather than create a work of studio-enhanced art. Most of today’s successful metal leans into the recording and effects, but Villains of Nowhere don’t offer any shoegaze swarms of delay or passages of orchestral grandeur. Nearly every note, every cymbal hit, every lyric on this six-song ep is devoted to the purity of the performance.

The playing is stellar across all the instruments. Fast-fingered wizardry along the fretboards, multi-limbed polyrhythms behind the kit, tasteful bass work that makes excellent use of its moments to shine without overpowering any of the songs. At times, as with most ambitious music, there’s a bit too much going on and instruments can play over one another rather than working together, but most of these moments only last a bar or two before the band locks in.

Each of the songs are crafted with multiple passages and modes, each impressive on their own. While they explore slightly different progressions and tempos, they’re mostly six stabs at the same target. Their target is well crafted, expertly performed, and authentically delivered metal, and on their debut ep, Villains of Nowhere go six for six.