Formed in Hartlepool, County Durham, in 2024, Rumination may be a relatively new name on the rise, but the musicians within the band bring years of experience from across the North East of England’s Death Metal underground.
Rumination – Maelstrom Of Epithelium EP
Release Date: 25 August 2026
Words: Matty Hunter
Evolving from Dawn Of Chaos after the band reunited briefly before ultimately dissolving, Rumination emerged, and the current lineup features Paul Hartburn (vocals), TJ Fallon and Ross Dunn (guitars), Liam Wales (bass, backing vocals) and Joey Rutherford (drums). They are already proving themselves a force to be reckoned with.
Following their self-titled four-track debut EP last year, a two-track promo earlier this year and an independently released cover of Cannibal Corpse’s Disfigured, Rumination now return with Maelstrom Of Epithelium, released through Vile Tapes Records physically on 25 August and on streaming platforms in September.
The EP has several guest appearances, and this in itself adds depth. Having caught the band live at their hometown Vulgarfest appearance in July, I had already heard several of these tracks delivered with devastating weight. On record, they hit just as hard.
The title track opens the EP with a short sample of what appears to be a conversation between a couple with distinctly local Hartlepool accents, before the instruments explode into life after around 20 seconds.
From there, the riffs immediately grab your attention, with Hartburn’s insanely deep gutturals sitting over fast, technical passages before the song suddenly slows into dragging slam riffs. The track then accelerates again before closing with intricate guitar work and unrelenting drumming.
At just under three minutes, it is a phenomenal opener and a perfect introduction to Rumination’s sound for those uninitiated.
Shredded Meat, featuring Jon Burr of Omnipresent Hysteria and formerly of Colpocleisis, is next up, and it was previously released as a single in April. This time there is no sample preceding the instrumentation, with the track building before launching straight into chaos.
Both Hartburn and Burr provide deep, unintelligible gutturals over intricate riffing and relentless drumming, and this element of the track makes you want to stomp around with the caveman-like vocals. The technicality reminds you of Defeated Sanity throughout, making this track especially a strong showcase of the band’s technical side.
As readers may know, my favourite genre is brutal Tech Death, and this song is a perfect embodiment of a top track in the genre. At just over three and a half minutes, it is superb.
Track three L.E.D, (what that stands for I will let you look up), featuring Twitch Of The Death Nerve vocalist and guitarist Tom Bradfield, wastes absolutely no time bursting into action. The fast, technical guitar throughout has a Necrophagist-esque quality, while another brief sample adds an effective touch to the brutality.
The vocals shine again once more, and after several listens, this has become my favourite track on the EP. It is a genuine standout across an already excellent release.
The penultimate song, Deathcamp, takes Rumination back to their roots, being a modern recording of a Dawn Of Chaos track originally released in 2009 on the Northern Discomfort split EP with Neuroma.
This track has a real deathgrind character about it, while sounding suitably devastating in an updated form. At several points, it reminds me of early Aborted, particularly the Goremageddon era. Clocking in at three and a quarter minutes of relentless brutality, it drags you through its entirety with barely a moment to catch your breath.
The closing track, Only Hands, maintains the ferocity, combining blistering speed with crushing slams. Rutherford’s drumming particularly shines, with blast beats driving the song forward while the technical guitars and bass lines provide flashes of early Cryptopsy.
Just as the pace seems destined to remain relentless, the track breaks down towards its conclusion and then you get a chance to catch your breath.
What makes Maelstrom Of Epithelium particularly impressive is how much experience and confidence Rumination display despite being formed only two years ago. They have already acquired guest musicians across the EP, their influences are clear, and they have taken those and created something that feels distinctly their own.
Their discography is going from strength to strength. The production deserves praise too. It is raw enough to retain aggression but clear enough for the musicianship to shine. It never feels overworked or polished, and you can tell the effort that has gone into making the EP.
Rumination are truly a hidden gem of the brutal Death Metal scene, and this EP is a serious statement of intent. I have already found myself returning to the EP repeatedly, and fans of brutal and Technical Death Metal should do the same.
Crushing and packed with character, this is a killer release from a band adding another release to their discography, who are only getting started on their upward rise from the underground.
Maelstrom of Epithelium releases on Vile Tapes Records physically on 25 August 2026 and on streaming platforms in September. For more details, visit the band on Bandcamp.
