Behind Starvation – The Grief Sower

Behind Starvation – The Grief Sower

Available Sept 19 via Inertial Music / The Metallist

Italy’s Behind Starvation are clearly not here to fk around. Their debut EP The Grief Sower (out September 19 via Inertial Music) takes the foundations of modern melodic death metal, douses them in raw emotion, and then smashes them into your face with the kind of conviction that only a band hungry as hell can pull off. It’s five tracks, just over 20 minutes, but don’t mistake brevity for softness — this is an EP that digs deep into grief, despair, and rage, then makes bloody anthems out of it.

Kicking things off is Negation’s Shape, a relentless opener that channels early In Flames through a modern lens. The riffs are sharp enough to peel paint, and Alessandro Di Rosa’s vocals sound like someone pouring their soul through barbed wire. Then comes the title track, Grief Sower, which anchors the release, four and a half minutes of melodic intensity, with a chorus that’s as tragic as it is defiant. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to scream your lungs out in a mosh pit, pint in hand, and not give a single fuck who’s watching.

Despite Existence pushes further into the darkness, hammering out a suffocating mix of aggression and sorrow. Collapsing Monuments stretches to the five minute mark, balancing atmosphere with brutality, and it’s here the band flex their songwriting muscles — this isn’t just about speed and heaviness, but tension and release. Then, in a move equal parts ballsy and brilliant, Behind Starvation close with a reimagined cover of The Rasmus’ In the Shadows. What could’ve been a gimmick instead becomes a snarling, melancholic reinvention that feels like it was always meant to be a melodeath song.

Production from Aron Corti and Mauro Drago Bertagna is tight without being sterile, letting the EP breathe while still hitting like a sledgehammer. Each instrument has its space, and the balance between melody and sheer fucking force is spot on.

In short, The Grief Sower isn’t just a debut — it’s a bloody statement. Behind Starvation have crafted something that honours melodeath’s roots while making it feel fresh and urgent. It’s emotional, it’s heavy, and it hits like a boot to the ribs. Keep your eyes on these Italians, they’re planting something dark, and it’s going to grow fast.