“Misanthropy and Godlessness” is At Our Heels’ debut and as you can tell by the title, happy music this is not. This California-based duo plays the kind of darkened hardcore made popular by most of the Deathwish roster. Which in my eyes is still a good thing.

Expect to hear 13 short blasts of pissed hardcore with a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of depression mixed in. There’s your straightforward, fast-paced cuts (“Unholy”, “Sink With Me”) right alongside sludgy slow burners (“Graves”, “Nom Sum Qualis Eram”), making for a fairly varied offering. All in all, “Misanthropy And Godlessness” is a very decent debut by a band you should keep an eye on.