GREAT FALLS "The Bite That Grows Up" LP

When GREAT FALLS released their NEUROT RECORDINGS debut OB-JECTS WITHOUT PAIN in 2023, it sounded like a nuclear explosion, one of the most crushing and despondent albums ever to come out of the Pa-cific Northwest. Drawing favorable comparisons to artists like KEN MODE, CHAT PILE and OLD MAN GLOOM, it showed clear influence from semi-nal 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 GOOD-BYE) writes his lyrics tersely, saying only what is necessary to make a point. While the guitar riffs are notoriously difficult to recreate, using bi-zarre tunings that find dissonance in every chord, his words on THE BITE THAT GROWS UP are to the point. Short sentences, fragments of con-versations, 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 con-fessions 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 disso-nant 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 (PLAY-ING 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 in-strument. Johnston and Mehling have been best friends for 25 years, and when the latter dives into the audience and starts headbutting concertgo-ers 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. “HAIL-STONE NUMBERS” is the most dynamic song on the album, highlighting the subtle noise embellishments of collaborator John Schork that are om-nipresent throughout the record. The first half is most comparable to a fu-neral 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.

On the closer, “WHAT NO ONE CAN GIVE,” Johnston reflects on what could have been, how everything was supposed to pan out for his daugh-ter, as he walks out of the mind church he has constructed once more. “Tell me it worked,” he begs. “That she’s all right. That she’s okay.” The album ends just as fiercely as it began, coming to a close so soon despite songs that contain multitudes within themselves, questions dying to be answered by someone who might be able to help. We have to wonder where GREAT FALLS could possibly go from here. How high can they build? How expansive will their sound become in the future? THE BITE THAT GROWS UP sticks with you long after you catch it.

Tracklist:
01. A Small Weakness
02. Pinned Against Time
03. Worse Than Sleep
04. Hailstone Numbers
05. Nicotine in the Spine
06. Debt Ethics
07. Buildings Full of Rope
08. What No One Can Give