Bayonet Dismemberment - Skull Crushed by a Tank

EP REVIEW

Skull Crushed by a Tank
Bayonet Dismemberment (death metal)
2026 Feb. 20
4 tracks
14:04
Iron Fortress Records

I was first put onto Vancouver-based death metal band Bayonet Dismemberment when I saw several bands and artists I follow on socials share the release of their February 2025 EP, Tomb of Sand. Their sharp, “bent-blades” lookin’ logo and their gory Carcass-esque cover art had me interested immediately (as did the endorsement of those creatives I already like). What I found in Bayonet Dismemberment is one of my new favourite death metal bands. They’ve got all the ingredients for that bouncy, riff-laden goodness like 200 Stab Wounds, Sawed Off, or Iron Front. Y’know, serious but not too serious.

Being a fan of everything they’ve put out so far – a whopping 18 minutes across 7 songs – I was stoked to see they had dropped a new single, “Skull Crushed by a Tank,” featuring triple-A gurglemaster Ricky Myers of Suffocation. I was also stoked to hear the track, as its tight, clear, scooped death metal production leaves lots of headroom for everything – especially the drums – to breathe, and bade well for the rest of the release sounding the same. 

The EP starts with the titular track “Skull Crushed by a Tank,” kicking off with horse-whinnying dive bombs and pounding drums like the soundtrack to a battlefield before a short buildup to 0:42 when the lumbering evil really begins. Melodies made evil by malevolent hammer-ons and sinister squeals then swirl above pummeling, machine gun drums with the band’s signature bounce and groove. We get Mr. Myer’s vocal cameo at 2:12, and the switch-up at 2:23 is enough to make me want to crush skulls of my own. 

Track 2, “Mutilated” featuring Alex from Undeath, brings immediate death metal chaos. While this track may be the standard fare for the band, it still brings a sense of momentum, of lumbering violence. I might dare to say I even get some Vader vibes from this one, especially from the fast tremolo picking and double kicks. Shoutout to Nathan Pope on the drums for keeping it tight and real. At 2:44 we get a great death metal solo section that brings us right to the end of the song and into the next: “Razorwire Laceration.” This track has a bounciness to it that I’ve always enjoyed about Bayonet Dismemberment’s music. Some moments – like the switchup at 1:34 punctuated by a whammy dive – reach into that “brutal slamming” territory. The song really winds down at the end. Anything past 3:10 has me doing my best Jens Kidman face. 

Finally, closing out the album is “Decapitation.” I’d say they finish strong with this one. Not that the other songs are slow, but “Decapitation” has a frantic energy to it that makes it feel more urgent and serious than the other tracks on this release. Vocalist Landon Furoy is pushing to the bottom of his diaphragm with some of those low gutterals, and we get absolutely blistering solos from guitarists Colin Ryley and Christian Frizzelle at 1:36. The track breaks down a bit towards the end, like a giant engine of war powering down. 

If Bayonet Dismemberment can keep up the pace they’ve set with “Skull Crushed by a Tank,” then they’ll have one hell of a heater on their hands when they drop the rest of the EP on Friday, February 20

In my opinion, Bayonet Dismemberment is 3-for-3 with their releases. No fat, all meat. I personally find myself craving different types of extreme music nowadays, but I’d never turn my back on my roots. If you’re a fan of death metal, this is a no brainer. Go spin Skull Crushed by a Tank. 

7.5/10