Mauled

Indianapolis-based Mauled is setting fire to the modern day deathcore rulebook with their latest EP, When Your Eyes Are Shut (WYEAS), releasing in 2026. 

“This is our take on the early days of deathcore,” explained vocalist Abe Kirkpatrick. “We don’t like what the genre’s become. The cookie-cutter breakdowns, only playing power chords on the first fret…nobody in this band likes the current state of deathcore.” 

The five-piece — Kirkpatrick, guitarists Chance York and Eli Harrell, bassist DJ Baker and drummer Tyler Powers — started playing shows during 2022. A few months later, they were selling out their hometown venues. 

“It was just crazy,” said Kirkpatrick. “There were just 300 kids absolutely murdering each other 15 minutes down the street from our house. It was awesome.”

WYEAS builds on that success with six new tracks, complete with back-bending breakdowns, agonizing, torturous screams and frenetic drumming, reminiscent of the unique sounds trademarked by bands like Whitechapel and Suicide Silence.

He knows the band’s sound isn’t what outsiders to the scene may be interested in. But it’s the band’s lyrics that keep the haters and naysayers coming back for more.    

“Sure, the majority of our songs are about killing people,” he admitted. “But we’ve all gone through a lot. We’ve lost friends along the way and we take inspiration from that. Our songs all focus on toxic relationships and heartbreak in some way. We want to show the world how we deal with them.”

That heartache ripples throughout “Drop Dead Gorgeous”, with Kirkpatrick’s razor-wire vocals belting out lyrics like “Why do I have to turn the page on a book that I never wanted to read?” 

Tracks like “Mouthful of Glass” and “TheLastThingYouSee” build on those sentiments by cranking the violence up as high as possible.  

“Mouthful of Glass is about torturing someone that’s been doing you wrong for years and deserves what’s coming to them,” explains Kirkpatrick. “TheLastThingYouSee has one of my favorite lyrics on the whole record: ‘Did you get what you wanted?’. Saying that to someone that absolutely ruined your life right before you ruin theirs just sounds fucking awesome.”

While that pain and heartache are central themes in their music, Kirkpatrick says the community they’re from and the support system of friends and family are what keep Mauled running. 

“Everyone has always been very into what we’re doing as Mauled,” said Kirkpatrick. “They come to our shows, they like getting to see what we do.”

Shows that he says were critical in his own upbringing. 

“I started going to shows as soon as I could,” he said. “Shows are special. And whether it’s new music or cool merch or even just a crazy lineup, there’s always a reason to go see bands play live. We try to give everyone that chance and we get to do that with Mauled.” 

You can find out more about Mauled’s upcoming tour dates below. But Kirkpatrick does have some advice for anyone planning to come to any shows in the future. 

“You should probably stand in the back,” he said. “I’d hate to see anything bad happen to you.”