GREAT FALLS - THE BITE THAT GROWS UP GREAT FALLS

When GREAT FALLS released their NEUROT RECORDINGS debut OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN in 2023, it sounded like a nuclear explosion, one of the most crushing and despondent albums ever to come out of the Pacific Northwest. Drawing favorable comparisons to artists like KEN MODE, CHAT PILE and OLD MAN GLOOM, it showed clear influence from seminal artists throughout its history, alongside a progression all their own.

Between legendary live performances at Roadburn in 2025, Northwest Terror Fest in 2026, direct support on BOTCH’s final European tour and a recent US stint with heavyweight juggernauts PRIMITIVE MAN, the band reteamed with Scott Evans (NEUROSIS, SUMAC, SHEARLING) for their follow-up. Before going into the studio, they aimed for a tamer counterpart to their previous record, like the fallout after an atom bomb. The result, their new album THE BITE THAT GROWS UP, turned out to be one of the most vicious, brutal, and uncompromising albums of the year.

Vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston (PLAYING ENEMY, KISS IT GOODBYE) writes his lyrics tersely, saying only what is necessary to make a point. While the guitar riffs are notoriously difficult to recreate, using bizarre tunings that find dissonance in every chord, his words on THE BITE THAT GROWS UP are to the point. Short sentences, fragments of conversations, and brief but startling admissions of guilt. They center around a group therapy session that Johnston has invented for himself, saying “I stained the glass, I built the church, I am here every week” on “WORSE THAN SLEEP.” In this mental safehaven, he makes uncomfortable confessions and necessary apologies, with the lead single “NICOTINE IN THE SPINE” addressing his own daughter. “I’m not prepared. I’m barely Dad. You should run to the woods. Find a pack. Find a home.” He is not vague or verbose, but uses poignant declarations and his flamethrower of a scream to draw you in.

This entire album is a chaotic listen with disorienting rhythms and dissonant riffs that are difficult to pin down, turning on a dime as soon as you try to nod your head to it. This is largely thanks to the complex, lightning-fast drumming of Nick Parks (GAYTHEIST) and Shane Mehling’s (PLAYING ENEMY) destructive bass tone, written to line up with Johnston, or completely deviate, at the right time. Mehling is also known for a stage presence just as intense and aggressive as the monstrous tone of his instrument. Johnston and Mehling have been best friends for 25 years, and when the latter dives into the audience and starts headbutting concertgoers because his rig stopped working, all the other can do is laugh, and simply respond with “It’s not supposed to sound like that.”

THE BITE THAT GROWS UP is full of pummeling misery and heartbreak, yet the most arresting part of the record is a moment of relief. “HAILSTONE NUMBERS” is the most dynamic song on the album, highlighting the subtle noise embellishments of collaborator John Schork that are omnipresent throughout the record. The first half is most comparable to a funeral dirge, as Parks replaces his typical kick with a broken drum, his “cymbal” a metal chain, scraping on the studio’s concrete floor. Distant drones help the song seamlessly morph into the album’s emotional peak. “When we see that where we come from is where we go” is the longest sentence spoken on the record, and it encapsulates the biggest fear prodding Johnston’s mind. Death is the one thing he feels he has in common with those around him, and eventually, we will all come crashing down with it. His scream is searing, a blowtorch against the skin.