(written by Islander)
Vancouver, Canada’s Without Mercy have announced that on May 8th they will release a new three-song EP named Infinite Loss. The EP is a mark of change for the band. They’ve explained that for the first time they “left home to make a record, crossing borders, abandoning routine, and committing fully to the process.” That process included confining themselves in a studio environment for 10 days.
As guitarist DJ Temple has stated: “There was no comfort, no distance, and no way to step away. That isolation mattered. It stripped everything down to what was essential. This record exists because we chose to be uncomfortable, to argue honestly, and to stay in the room until it felt right”.
As the first sign of what that creative process yielded, today we’re premiering the EP’s first single, “The Saint,” accompanied by a new music video. Lyrically, the song confronts the idea of being enslaved by the land, “all the different whips, and all the different backs.” Musically, it puts some head-spinning twists on Without Mercy’s branding as a “groove metal band”.
Top – L -R – Alex Friis (Vocals), Matt Helie (Drums), Ryan Loewen (Bass) / Bottom – DJ Temple (Guitars)
Photo Credit: Shimon Karmel (www.shimonphoto.com)
“The Saint” is somehow both maniacal and controlled. In its opening couple of minutes it seems to be a carefully calibrated convulsion, discharging its myriad sensations in quick stop-start bursts of seemingly off-kilter but tightly executed mayhem. Those sensations include sledgehammer rhythmic brutishness, shrill and spidery fretwork-delirium, and napalm-strength vocals.
The grooves are there — grooves of differing kinds — but they quickly jackhammer listeners in the midst of harrowing howls, scorching screams, and a multitude of fleet-fingered but berserk and discordant string contortions.
Moreover, at the 2:18 mark the song suddenly and dramatically changes — indeed, it’s difficult to overstate just how dramatic the change is. In place of all the frenetically bursting frequencies the lead guitar gently rings and seductively warps above gravel-toned bass-lines and steady beats, an interlude that brings hints of jazz fusion to mind.
That’s just a quick breather before the song’s intensity blazes again, and yet the segue back into the finale of bludgeoning grooves and squirming guitars is a smooth and near-seamless one.
The video that accompanies the song — which gives a good idea of what Without Mercy are like on stage — was directed by DJ Temple based on his concept, it features camera work by Josh Polanco and Steve Roste, and it was edited by Josh Polanco.
We’ll also share these further statements we’ve received about Infinite Loss:
Lyrically, the EP centers on the feeling of being hunted repeatedly by shifting, modern pressures: economic strain, identity, expectation, time, and survival. There is no single antagonist. The threat changes shape, but never disappears.
Musically, the record mirrors that tension through weight, repetition, and restraint. Riffs sit long enough to suffocate. Rhythms feel physical and deliberate. The aggression is controlled rather than explosive, creating a sense of inevitability rather than chaos. The result is a release that is confrontational without theatrics, an unfiltered snapshot of a band choosing discipline over convenience and honesty over expectation.
The EP’s artwork was created in collaboration with longtime friend Diego Gedoz de Souza, who helped refine the visual direction after early concepts fell short. The final image, a desolate forest with a massive void carved into the earth, reflects the EP’s emotional core: inevitability, loss, and the pull toward something inescapable.
TRACK LIST:
1. Infinite Loss – (4:15)
2. The Saint – (3:39)
3. Glass – (3:16)
EP Length: 11:11
Infinite Loss was produced, mixed, and mastered by John Douglass, with additional engineering by Alex Parra. As noted earlier, the cover art was created by Diego Gedoz de Souza. It comes recommended for fans of Meshuggah, Alluvial, Decapitated, Fit For An Autopsy, and Gojira. To pre-save, see the link below.
PRE-SAVE:
https://ffm.to/infiniteloss
WITHOUT MERCY:
https://withoutmercyband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/withoutmercyband
https://www.instagram.com/withoutmercyband