BOYZ IN THE HOODIES. A Breed Unknown has an EP to lay on Eau Claire.

“Chug-chug-chugchug-chug-chug-scree!!” is as familiar to metal maniacs as John Williams’ score for Jaws is to beach bunnies. And on A Breed Unknown’s new EP, Afterlife, you can rest assured that not one ounce of beer will be lost, in some kind of “caught-you-unawares” spit take, upon pressing play.

This is meat and potatoes modern metal, a bit of death a bit of ’core, and if you dig that sound, you will find much to chew on over the four-course spread.

Wasteland radiates a hooky riff. An atomic bass boom, antithesis to the subtle segue, transitions the song into slamming groove before a discordant yet catchy breakdown. The title track opens with a sound bite, a creepy crackling cadence, like out of some Saw film, which is fitting given that franchise’s fondness for formula. Frankly, this is the least convincing of the tracks. When their vocalist bellows, “This is the afterlife!” it should inspire perturbation rather than stagnation. Kraken rectifies with one of the best riffs on the release. Much like the superior Harryhausen creation for the 1980 Clash of the Titans, this “Kraken” is a crescendo of flailing limbs. The EP concludes with Stone Age. Indeed, with a nod to Cannibal Corpse style bludgeoning, and more of those atomic bass booms, the band seems hellbent on blasting us back there.

At three minutes a piece, no one track ever pees on the carpeting. And while there really isn’t anything “unknown” about their sound, it’s still pretty convincing stuff nonetheless.

Find A Breed Unknown on Facebook, MySpace, and ReverbNation.