Verily, the Callous Daoboys have plenty going for them. They’ve claimed the one of the cleverest band names in town, they can decimate any crowd with their six-pronged sonic rodeo of a live show, and manic vocalist Carson Pace can ignite a mosh pit before them within mere seconds. These are all good and proper aspirations for a hardcore metal band, no doubt.

For those already inducted into the cult of the Daoboy, “Save a Horse, Ride a Daoboy” shouldn’t rattle any saddles. Indeed, since Elliott Brabant (Michael Cera Palin, Document) yells at practically every Daoboy gig anyway, their guest vocals on here seem only like an inevitable progression. What’s more intriguing (beyond the lone glockenspiel—a little tinkling sleigh bell in a howling blizzard) isn’t the single itself, but the liner notes, which stratify the band into “current” and “past” members. Not that this really changes the direction of that thunderous Daoboy gallop, mind, but at least now we’ve some evidence that the group can and do switch up their formation every now and then. And, given that Pace and the gang backed Jay Samuel not too long ago on the last NEWMONEY album, we could be in for more surprise guests yet when the full EP, animaltetris, drops in December.

Certainly, the Daoboys have whipped the horses to their usual frothing frenzy here, and there’s no doubt that whatever comes next will stampede all over your eardrums. All that’s left to wonder at this point is what diabolical choreography has Pace mapped out for this one?

animaltetris is out Dec. 1.

More Info
Bandcamp: thecallousdaoboys.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @thecallousdaoboys
Instagram: @thecallousdaoboys
Twitter: @callousdaoboys