Hear Dr. Acula's Crushing New Metalcore Reinvention "Welcome to Dead House"

If you were a student of the 'core in the late 2000s and early 2010s, then you were probably familiar with Dr. Acula. The irreverently titled Long Island band had a shtick that involved dropping random TV and movie samples into short blasts of grindy deathcore, like having Stewie from Family Guy say something evil right before a breakdown. They were fun, but the gimmick only went so far. After fizzling out following their 2012 album, the band have now reformed with their original lineup and are preparing to drop their first record in a decade — and their first with the OG guys in roughly 15 years.

However, instead of rehashing the silliness of their early years, the band are now treating Dr. Acula like a serious project, and "Welcome to the Dead House" is perfect for initiating any fan, old or new, into their refreshed approach. Premiering above via YouTube, the track is a genuinely ripping metalcore banger in the vein of early Every Time I Die, but with deathcore breakdowns that call back to the Dr. Acula sound that longtime fans will remember. 

"The song's about watching someone who is your entire world, be ripped from existence," says bassist Rob Guarino. "It's something we deal with all the time as humans, but when it happens to you personally you feel so isolated and alone and angry. It causes you to harp on things that no one else noticed, start to blame others for what was ultimately out of their control, just as much as it was out of yours.

"'It all ends and starts with death' is the hopeless thought that consumes your brain. Everything good is gone. What is this new chapter going to bring, that is in any way better than what I just had? Any positive experience will immediately be diminished by the fact that you can't share it with them. The song is selfish, erratic, and confused. Exactly how I felt after my mom passed."

Dr. Acula's self-titled album is due out October 28th via Silent Pendulum records, and you can pre-order it here.