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The door to the newly-rented recording studio slammed shut behind them. The room was sterile but solid—no-frills acoustic panels, thick black cables coiled like serpents on the floor, and monitors that hummed with anticipation.
Kai stood in the center, clutching his bass with reverence. "Smells like sweat and ambition in here."
Silas smirked from behind his drum kit. "Perfect for the sound of death."
Ash had already plugged in his rig, dialing up a thick, distorted tone. "So this is the one that's going to punch the world in the throat, huh?"
Rex, standing at the vocal mic with a set of lyrics taped to the wall, nodded solemnly. "Angel of Death isn't just a song. It's a scream. A war cry. No solos for show, no breakdowns for trends. Just fury."
Samuel Owen watched from the side booth, arms crossed, eyes narrowed with respect. "You named a song after literal death, and you expect people to listen on a Tuesday morning."
Rex looked at him. "I expect them to remember it on a Tuesday morning."
The click track began.
Silas counted in, sticks raised high like a conductor preparing for battle. And then—detonation.
The double bass pedals roared beneath his feet, a relentless barrage of rhythm. It was faster than anything they'd recorded before, almost inhuman in pace. His face twisted in focus, veins bulging as he fought to stay one step ahead of collapse.
Kai's bass thundered in beneath it, a galloping wall of noise, locking perfectly with Silas like some demonic engine churning at 200 BPM. His fingers blurred on the fretboard, sweat already dripping down his brow.
Ash unleashed the intro riff—menacing, sharp, mechanical precision. It sliced through the mix like a guillotine. His face was expressionless, focused, possessed. Each downstroke was a declaration of war.
And then Rex's voice exploded through the studio.
"Auschwitz, the meaning of pain…"
His voice wasn't just loud—it was jagged, strained, vicious. He wasn't singing; he was indicting. Spitting venom with each line as if he could resurrect the horrors he'd read about in a single breath. The band didn't flinch. They pushed harder.
"Sadist of the noblest blood, terror in the flesh!"
Samuel leaned forward. This wasn't a song. It was a manifesto.
After the first full take, silence rang louder than the music.
Silas collapsed back on his stool. "Jesus."
"Not in this song," Rex muttered.
Ash dropped his pick, stretching his wrist. "I think I just lost two years off my joints."
Kai's arms trembled slightly. "Totally worth it."
Samuel hit the intercom. "You guys want a break?"
Rex stepped forward, drenched in sweat, eyes wild. "No. Again. We go until it's perfect."
They ran the song three more times.
Each take got tighter. More aggressive. Rex pushed his voice beyond raw, shrieking through verses, barking commands in the chorus. Ash added razor-edged solos that sliced clean through the rhythm section. Silas began adding subtle fills, changing up the cymbal work with increasing confidence. Kai's bass became a living creature—growling, snarling, devouring the low end.
After the fourth take, the control room was vibrating.
Samuel took off his headphones and leaned back in his chair. "That… was terrifying. And incredible."
The band filed into the booth, panting like marathon runners.
Rex dropped onto the couch. "Tell me we got it."
Samuel looked at the waveform, nodded slowly. "You got it. And then some. I've heard bands try to be heavy before. You guys? You're convincing."
Ash grabbed a bottle of water, chugged half of it in one go. "I didn't think we'd top Seek and Destroy this soon."
Silas looked at his blistered hands and grinned. "I did."
Rex sat up, suddenly thoughtful. "This one's different. Not just louder. It's darker. More real."
Kai nodded. "Yeah. I mean, The Four Horsemen was epic. Seek and Destroy was gritty. But this? This is a straight-up descent into hell."
Samuel leaned against the console. "That inspiration you mentioned—Josef Mengele. You weren't just writing for shock value, were you?"
Rex's jaw tightened. "No. I read about what he did. The experiments. The way he played God with people's lives. I wanted people to feel the horror. Not look away. Remember."
There was a long pause.
Even Ash, usually the snarky one, looked solemn. "It shows, man. This one feels haunted."
Samuel broke the silence. "So when do we drop this beast?"
Rex's fire returned. "Teaser in four days. Full release next Friday. With a lyrics video. No visuals. Let the words speak first."
Kai cracked his neck. "And if people can't handle it?"
Rex stood. "Then it's working."
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