Mantra of Psychological Violence is a three-track EP that sets out to show
“…where thought corrodes into echo and identity splinters under invisible weight.”
It is also described as
“The final chapter of the Red Era, carrying the scars of purging and the quiet fortitude of rebuilding.”
On the first point — I’ll be honest: that’s not pretentious bullshit. This record actually sounds like a human being falling apart. It’s disturbing, uncomfortable, and utterly magnetic. You can’t just nod politely along to this — it demands your full attention. The guitars scrape and grind like fingernails down stone, the drums hit like someone dismantling your skull with precision, and the vocals crawl up your spine and refuse to let go. This is chaos with purpose. It’s not just noise — it’s violence made tangible. Every riff, every blast, every guttural scream is another piece of that psychological collapse they’re trying to convey. It works. Horrifyingly well.
As for the second statement — “final chapter of the Red Era” — well, this is my first exposure to Caged Bastard, so I can’t speak for their history. But I don’t need to. Mantra of Psychological Violence stands alone as a statement of pure intent. Three tracks, but no wasted motion. No filler. Every second feels deliberate, driven by a singular goal: to unsettle and destroy. It’s a short but devastating ride — compact, precise, and relentless.
There’s something intoxicating about the brutality here. It’s not just an assault on the ears — it’s an experience. It doesn’t ask for your consent; it drags you into its world and leaves you a little less whole for it. And that, in my book, is exactly what good Black Metal should do.
Caged Bastard have dropped something raw, unflinching, and uncompromising. This is more than an EP — it’s a visceral statement of intent, and if this is their first exposure to me, consider me hooked. They’ve managed to create something that’s not just heard, but felt. That’s rare in black metal these days.
Mantra of Psychological Violence is available now from the Caged Bastard Bandcamp page.
CHOICE CUT: Echo Chamber of Wounds
Black Metal Archives Verdict: A brutal, uncompromising statement of intent — short, sharp, and deeply unsettling. Caged Bastard deliver chaos as art, and it fucking works.
