Biological Fathers - Biological Fathers EP

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 08 Feb 2026

Tracklist:

1. Caddy

2. Camry

3. The All-New Mitsubishi Galant

With song titles that immediately took me back to the days of the OG Gran Turismo Playstation game, there was no way in hell that I was gonna pass on the debut EP from new screamo (supergroup?) Biological Fathers. I mean, the list of bands that this group of musicians have and indeed do play in is too long to list. The EP was released as a very limited run of 100 CDs via Zegema Beach Records and what's unique about it is that all members wrote and recorded in isolation, one after the other and with no input from each other.

The Biological Fathers line-up includes Dave Cullen on guitar, Robbie Hansen on drums, Jesse Mowery on guitar, Lucio Oquendo on bass and vocalist Lowell Shaffer. If you have your ear to the ground when it comes to screamo and ZBR, you'll probably already know how this is gonna go!

Spring is very much on the way in the UK and after today’s much needed sunshine, I’m feeling energised despite being tied to the desk at my day job for most of it. I’m now sitting down with the same energy to listen to this, the briefest of EPs from Biological Fathers. Given that every member wrote and recorded their instruments/vocals independently of one another, this sounds so complete. Opener ‘Caddy’ tricks you into thinking it’s gonna be an indiemo/math rock song before the band lurches into a sound that’s much more akin to emoviolence. Obviously, they don’t stick to any sort of blueprint as the song’s latter-half is a mix of all of those things. 

‘Camry’ is a mix of different musical styles once again, all wrapped up inside a cocoon of screamo and metallic/punk energy. As with the opener, it’s short and sweet, leading to the song that first reminded me of that Playstation game. ‘The All-New Mitsubishi Galant’ is a lot more adventurous than the car that graces it’s title but let’s not forget that we’re dealing with a less than conventional band here. I’m guessing that Biological Fathers named their songs after nondescript family cars to throw us all off the scent.

In little over five minutes, this quintet has single-handedly changed the course of a sub-genre (in my humble opinion). They probably didn’t set out to do that and my review above might not have alluded to it either, but that’s how I feel now that it’s sunk in a bit. You probably didn’t hear it here first but I’ll never know.

You can stream and purchase the EP digitally, and on CD from Biological Fathers below:-

If you want to buy CD copies of the EP from ZBR and help them avoid excessive fees, head to the below links:-

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/biologicalfathers / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/biologicalfathers

Zegema Beach Records - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Dissentience - Kaiju EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 20 Feb 2026

Tracklist:

1. Obsidian Tomb

2. Chaos Absolute

3. Kaiju

4. Death Shroud

My Laptop has been doing all kinds of weird things today. The weirdest of all was when the screen decided to glitch and the mouse stopped working in unison, only for couple of seconds though, but enough time for it to become really annoying. With that minor grumble out the way though, February looks like it's going to set a new record for the blog. I might mention it at the end of the month.

I took last week off with the aim of getting a few things written up and published, but as fate would have it I didn’t even get close to achieving what I wanted to. We’re now into a new month and I’m handing the floor over to US progressive death/thrash band Dissentience as they self-released their latest EP Kaiju just a couple of weeks ago. Opener ‘Obsidian Tomb’ has the kind of instrumental intro/build-up that absolutely screams progression before the full band kicks in with a sound that’s more akin to metalcore. When I mention metalcore though, I’m talking about the melodic nature of their sound, as that sub-genre has always been more musical and indeed palatable I guess.

Talking of palatable; I was looking at the line-up for this year’s Download festival in the UK the other day and I think it’s growing into a more mainstream festival (compered to when I attended in 2006 and 2007), and while it’s embracing nu-metal once again this year, there are a lot of acts that perhaps belong on different bills. Dissentience would be the perfect addition for a future line-up though, as they epitomise the spirit that the likes of Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium left on that hallowed ground. I say that as ‘Chaos Absolute’ presents Dissentience at their most off-kilter and unpredictable. I’m here for heaviness that keeps me guessing and there’s plenty of that throughout this rager!

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before but this EP brings the same chills I felt when I heard the first EP from fellow US metalcore band A Wanted Awakening. There are few bands that have properly buried themselves within my muscle memory throughout the last fifteen years and AWA are one. I can’t fully explain why, but I’m getting the same feeling with Dissentience, which is a very good sign. Title-song ‘Kaiju’ is a lot more pummelling with its thrash metal influences and groove, leaving behind some of the prog sensibilities of the song it follows. Given the global instability over the last 24 hours, this hits differently for sure.

Closing out their newest EP with ‘Death Shroud’, Dissentience go with a moodier into followed by some excellent tech instrumentation. Two minutes have gone by before the full band kicks into top gear, with furious death-thrash taking over. They slide subtle prog-elements into it throughout, which help with the song’s momentum too. It is well over seven minutes in length after all! Sometimes, short/sharp bursts of music really help a band stand out. It’s definitely the case here. Dissentience have nailed it.

You can stream and purchase Kaiju digitally from Dissentience below:-

CD copies and other merch are available to purchase from the band here -https://www.dissentience.com/products

Dissentience - https://www.facebook.com/dissentienceband