Review: Backstabbed – Self-Fulfilling Tragedy

There’s a certain futility in approaching a record like “Self-Fulfilling Tragedy”. Backstabbed are not here to charm you, and they’re certainly not here to innovate in any polite, academically approved way. Their brand of hardcore moves impatient and sincere, the kind that lurches forward on sheer spite before remembering it also wants to bleed melody into the mix. From the first seconds of the eponymous opening song you sense a band pulling in multiple directions. The hardcore underpinnings are solid – pounding drums, raw aggression, vocal bark that wants to tear into you, but there’s an overlay of melodicism and a striving for catchiness that sometimes strains the coherence of the sound. The guitars shift between crushing chords and momentary melodic leads; the transitions occasionally jar rather than flow. Yet even when the glue seems stretched thin, you can feel the band’s sheer will to push through.

Lyrically the EP is suffused with self-loathing, contradiction, plea and catharsis. The title track carries lines like “everything I touch / turns into tragedy,” a kind of blackened confession warped by desperation. “Out of Body Experience” has tighter pace, and the aggression crisper, yet the same internal turmoil echoes in every shift. “Reborn” aims for renewal, trying to untangle the darkness by reaching for light, yet the specter of what came before never fully lets go. “Forgiveness” ends the sequence on a more reflective note, attempting resolution, though it feels tentative rather than triumphant. The band doesn’t pretend to have answers; they wrestle with the ambiguity.

Production-wise, “Self-Fulfilling Tragedy” is decent but not perfect. The mix sometimes buries finer textures under the weight of the rhythm section. Vocal layering and harmonies occasionally get lost, and the heavier parts dominate, sometimes to the detriment of dynamic contrast. The drums could use a bit more punch in the mix, and the guitar tone occasionally feels a shade too uniform. Still, the recording captures a certain immediacy and directness; you’re aware of the band pushing forward rather than hiding behind polish.

In the broader context of hardcore / metalcore crossover acts, this EP distinguishes itself by its sincerity and risk-taking. It doesn’t feel like formulaic breakdown damage; it feels like a band trying to bleed out something real. It’s not flawless, and it won’t convert everyone, but if you lean toward music that’s messy, haunted, trying hard, this this is worth your time.