EP REVIEW: EXISTENCE BY NO TERROR IN THE BANG
Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Release date 3 April 2026
No Terror In The Bang is a French progressive metal band. The band’s name comes from an Alfred Hitchcock quote: “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it”. The band members are Sofia Bortoluzzi (vocals), Clement Bernard (guitar), Etienne Cochin (guitar), Brice Bouchard (bass) and Alexis Damien (drums and synths) and ‘Existence’ is their first extended player (EP). They have released two albums in France: 2024’s ‘Heal’ and 2021’s ‘Eclosion’.
Opening track ‘Moon’ is a good encapsulation of what to expect on ‘Existence’, opening with a huge vocal shriek, heavy drums and angular guitar riffs: the song moves between softer, smooth, melodic vocals and as the chorus builds with heavier increases in vocal fry, distinctive guitar riffs and big drum kicks. Sofia Bortoluzzi’s vocal performances are the clear standout as she switches between belting lung-piercing screams and beautiful softer clean registers full of sombreness and vulnerability.
‘Heroine’ starts with a beautiful acoustic guitar riff and gentle clean singing that has a sweetness like a craving. Then, the electric guitar, the huge drums and heavy vocal screams cut in and the song changes direction. The lyrics: “The end is not coming / It is already inside us” reflect the addiction of self-destruction. This song is a real highlight and the melody line is really good. ‘Goat’ follows and it is heavy from the get-go. Huge, dark vocals, guitar and drums before the song breaks into a melodic fairy-tale like pre-chorus before the heavy returns. No Terror In The Bang certainly like to play with the dynamics of sound as they pull from melodic rock to harder metalcore.
The next song ‘Human Race Kills’, has a delicate piano synth key and synth melody before there is a direct change with big drum kicks, guitar riffs and strong vocals cutting in. The lyrics are self-explanatory as humanity has a long track record of violence towards everything in existence and it is our collective curse that we will eventually kill ourselves. The final song on this taster EP is ‘Chasm’. The song has a dual purpose as a warning and a reality check: “We are bone / we are dust / We return to the ground / all of us” and the politics of the times warns: “No crown survives the burial / Only truth beneath it all”.
This Rouen based band, No Terror In The Bang, are worth your attention. The songs on this EP straddle the line between clean and harsh, introspective and explicit lyrics that speak to power, and melodic but harsh. There is a lot going on with the juxtapositions between the strands that have built these five songs. The EP ‘Existence’ captures the band’s essence and signals that a new powerful band have arrived.
