Every great heavy record bears a parable — a lesson paid for in pain or in wild euphoria, or simply that cleansing moment when you scream into the void and discover you’re not alone. “From the Belly of the Beast” by (UN)WORTHY doesn’t just draw on that tradition. It turns it into a weapon.
You think you know what to expect — another barrage of blasts, another avalanche of deathcore fury from a band famous for redefining the word “loud” — and yet the effect surprises you and makes you yank the volume knob to the max.
The band: a new five-headed beast
In 2025, (UN)WORTHY is no longer the two-man steamroller of Dennis Woods (vocals) and Jorden Jimenez (guitars, multi-instrumentalist). Expansion was inevitable. “From the Belly of the Beast” is the debut of the band as a full five-piece — and you can hear it in every second of this monumental material (Heavy Christian Music).
The new faces aren’t just add-ons: guitarist Elias Clark (ex-Cultist) and bassist Anthony Garate (ex-Midst of Grey) bring not only technical prowess but flashes of madness, while drummer Zach Lillemoen (ex-Classic Disaster) nails each track like a hammer of judgment. This lineup was built for excess — not just filling gaps but cracking the foundations and letting everything spill out.
Fans point out how much new DNA is here. (UN)WORTHY still brushes against despair, weight, and melodic gloom, but now the songs coil and explode in ways impossible for a duo. This isn’t just a band with new members — it’s a transformed outfit, reset and ravenous.
The release — straight from the depths
Technically an EP, it feels like a full double album. Choosing the Book of Jonah as the guiding motif (yes, the prophet who ended up in the belly of a giant fish), (UN)WORTHY leaves no doubt: this is about confronting doubt, facing the beast, and screaming from the bottom of the dark.
The tracklist is plotted almost cinematically:
- A Suicide Mission
- You Can Run, but You’ll Never Hide
- From the Belly of the Beast
- Judgement Denied
Each cut is a step down into Jonah’s sonic hell — a brutal, at times literal reinterpretation of a tale of shattered faith and attempted deliverance. It’s more a four-part exorcism than a standard set of tracks: the build-up, the fury, the collapse, and the trembling heave toward something like redemption — all of it is here.
“A Suicide Mission” opens with a blood-chilling strike — crushing weights, staggered riffs, the drama of Jonah’s defiance. There’s a brief shimmer of melody before the low-end drags you back into the abyss.
“You Can Run, but You’ll Never Hide” offers no quarter. Destiny wired into chugging guitars and a rhythm section that sounds like a storm warning. Woods spits vocals, slipping between growls and screams like a man wrestling fate — making Jonah a thoroughly modern, trapped protagonist.
The title track, “From the Belly of the Beast,” is the release’s heaviest point. Riffs spiral downward, breakdowns feel like psychotic fits, and claustrophobia tightens with every bar: a sonic language for the prophet’s isolation. Guitars screech, the bass moans, drums harden every fear by another notch.
“Judgement Denied” is the explosive finale — the ultimate battle between rage and acceptance, like the moment Jonah is delivered but not fully absolved. Musically: vast, filthy, drilling. If you want the arc, message, and the band’s path — this is the essence.
Sound & production: biblically dirty, modernly crushing
Plenty of deathcore bands boast a “new level of heaviness,” but few truly achieve it. Here, it isn’t just physical weight — “From the Belly of the Beast” crushes psychologically, atmospherically, stylistically. That comes not only from the fresh players, but from the well-balanced production — everything has teeth and character without tripping over itself.
This one is best LOUD. The production is careful and transparent where it needs to be — melodic riffs float on an ocean of distortion, with drums driving the whole like a panic attack, yet never smothering the vocal that swings from cavernous growl to a near-breaking lament.
You can’t ignore how loud this music is — despair and hope melting into a formless roar like the sea’s floor. Yet there are pockets of silence, space, clarity — clean, trembling lines rescuing your ears right before the next plunge into chaos. The influences stretch beyond classic deathcore — there are blackened textures and masterful interjections.
Lyrics & the biblical narrative
Building metal on Scripture is risky — it can sink into cliché or bombast. (UN)WORTHY uses Jonah not as theatre but as a vehicle for questions about faith and rebellion. The lyricism is vivid; it doesn’t preach, it compels you to inhabit the prophet’s anguish.
The debut “This Present Darkness” explored loneliness as spiritual dread (Metal Epidemic), but “From the Belly of the Beast” is a head-on collision. God isn’t abstract, judgement isn’t theoretical. It’s the Old Testament transmuted into sound — despair and divine pursuit at once. Even non-believers will feel the stakes.
One couplet lingers long after the playthrough: “I fled from mercy / I found only fear / In the belly of the beast the only answer is a scream.” It lands because it’s true — everyone knows those moments of futility and unnameable dread.
Bandcamp and physicals — for more than fans
Looking for a physical copy? The band ships a classic jewel case + eight-page booklet (unworthybandmerch.com). Each CD includes a Bandcamp download code — a feast for collectors of lyrics and art.
As for those holes in the wall and your car? Not an empty slogan. To quote the band: “Get ready for (UN)WORTHY in a form that keeps the known brutality and pushes it further, leaving holes in your house, car, office, or wherever you freak out to our music.” A justified warning.
Place on the scene: deathcore in 2025
Deathcore AD 2025 is a battlefield. The giants — Slaughter to Prevail, Lorna Shore, Mental Cruelty — keep pushing the boundaries (The Metal Verse). (UN)WORTHY stands out by fusing biblical motifs, technical brutality, and fresh ideas.
Where others avoid faith-driven concept records, they dive headlong. The approach recalls the energy of For Today or Impending Doom, but the sound is entirely modern — faster, harder, uncompromising, with no easy answers.
They don’t chase trends. They rewrite deathcore on their own terms.
Not just a record — a manifesto
“From the Belly of the Beast” isn’t just a new calling card for the re-forged lineup — it’s something larger: a proposal, a dare, and a chronicle of faith and fury for anyone willing to listen closely. Every minute counts — from cover and track curation to the closing blow.
Buy this and you’re not just getting a piece of deathcore history. You’re taking part in a story still being written — by a band unafraid of change or of asking what meaning is.
Why it’s worth it
This isn’t comfortable music. “From the Belly of the Beast” is biblical chaos that leaves marks for a long time. Perfect for dark nights, impossible workouts, drives that lack atmosphere — or hope. Every riff, every scream is another dose of survival and self-discovery.
It doesn’t let up for weeks. With tight structure, surprising melodies, and honest narrative, the new (UN)WORTHY material proves that sometimes the only way to the light runs straight through darkness.
Buy album on Bandcamp Collector’s Edition – CD + booklet
FAQ
How is this release different from earlier ones?
The new five-piece lineup brings a broader sonic palette and more elaborate production.
Is this a full-length album or an EP?
Officially an EP, but its scope and length feel like a full album.
What Biblical motif underpins the record?
The story of the prophet Jonah — flight, time in the “belly of the beast”, and return.