Detroit has never cared for polish or polite bows. What matters here is drive, volume, and the readiness to claw your way into the spotlight with fists and guitar riffs. Marcus: the Apex Predator! are a textbook product of this environment—loud, honest, and absolutely fearless. Their new EP Newborn Fossil picks up where The Fury of Almost (2018) left off, but pushes the boundaries noticeably further.

Across five tracks, post-hardcore, prog, pop-punk, and even traces of alt-rock intertwine. It’s hard to call this anything familiar—the material seethes and vibrates, and you feel the urge to jump on stage just to figure out where all this heavy, defiant sound is coming from.

On the new EP, Kevin Watts’ guitar rips through with biting riffs, as if sparks are flying off the frets. The vocals don’t shy away from screaming when the melody needs a boost in intensity. Nick Marco on drums is like a powerful engine that never idles. Bassist Sean Bondareff lays down a deep foundation, and together, it all hits with enough force to send chills down your spine from the first chord. The sound was shaped by engineer Jake Shives and mastered by Dave Feeny (known for his work and a few awards to his name). The result is tight but not sterile—the grit and aggressive energy of Detroit are still right up front.

The title Newborn Fossil suggests an artifact from the past that’s suddenly come to life. On one hand, you can hear old punk rock roots: adrenaline-charged bravado, a drive to rebel against dull rules and the people who make them. On the other, there’s a clear melodic layer that keeps the music from becoming a wall of noise—it stays punchy and infectious. At times, you catch yourself thinking Marcus: the Apex Predator! could just as easily tear it up in a cramped underground club as on a massive festival stage—their sound would find its people in both.

If on The Fury of Almost they stomped the listener into dust with unfiltered excitement, Newborn Fossil brings a broader palette. A couple of guitar moves hint that the band isn’t afraid to experiment and pull the audience into a range of moods: craving wild slam dancing? You got it. Ready to jump to an unexpectedly melodic chorus? Here you go, enjoy. And yet, each track holds its own weight—there’s a clear throughline across the whole release: loud, vivid, honest. You can play it at home with the volume down so the neighbors don’t show up like zombies, or you can crank it all the way up and let your inner demons run loose.

Zero Compromise

With Newborn Fossil, Marcus: the Apex Predator! slam on the gas from the first second. The sound is raw, thick, and wastes no time. Kevin Watts’ vocals—pfff, calling it “vocals” doesn’t cut it, it’s more like a punch to the gut. The guitars and drums churn like a dress rehearsal for the apocalypse.

Lo-Fi comes off like a provocation. The title’s a joke—there’s nothing lo-fi about it. What you get are searing riffs, a tense rhythm section, and a chorus that blows the roof off. The structure’s tight, the delivery full of bite and precision. The atmosphere holds, and the vocal hooks hit exactly when they should. Everything’s locked in.

In the middle sits The First Summer. Here, Marcus take a step sideways but don’t lose power. It’s cleaner, lighter, but not weaker. The melody rolls like an old tape—worn down but still singing. Everything smells of a dusty July.

Plenty & Shine is a tight jolt. Guitars and drums take full control. The momentum is as direct as the route to the bar where you already owe everyone. The vocals pull you along, throwing lines straight under your skin. There’s something wild and magnetic in it.

And then comes the closer — No Fraction. This is where the band lets the beast out. The rhythm breaks, the structure slips, the textures get sticky. Marcus go all the way. They hammer the sound into your brain until it starts twitching. They go all in here—and pull the damn ace.

Marcus: the Apex Predator! clearly intend to keep shaking up the Detroit scene. They’ve got a talent for hitting the mark without softening anything for the audience. That’s the real charm—no one’s trying to sugarcoat anything. Every track has its sharp edge and its own mood. It’s only been a few years since the band formed, but they’ve already carved their name into the city’s underground. Newborn Fossil is fresh proof that brute force and thoughtful execution don’t cancel each other out. There are bursts of fury, but the music never collapses into a chaotic mess of decibels.

When the record spins, your mind fills in the night streets—cut through with cigarette smoke and driving anyone stuck in this city called Detroit to the edge. And as Newborn Fossil pounds through the speakers, it feels like something inside is waking up, demanding louder, higher, heavier. These are the moments that give music its strange sense of freedom, when the pressure of the city compresses into guitar chords and explodes straight at the listener. This is the new chapter Marcus: the Apex Predator! have opened—it’s time to show what they’re capable of. Everyone else can either join the chaos or get out of the way.

*This review was made possible by SubmitHub