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Take Offense’s new single “S.W.O” (Split Wide Open) plunges into Slayer-like fury, chugging ahead at near impossible speeds while taking time out to throw in impressive fretboard gymnastics and a few dive bombs. The track isn’t just senseless savagery though, as vocalist Anthony Herrera explains that the underlying inspiration stems from emotional vulnerability. “‘Split Wide Open’ is about being a writer and putting yourself out there. These things can be very personal, but they also mean a lot to others too.”

Cali thrashers Take Offense forge ahead towards new frontiers on their forthcoming album T.O.tality. After nearly two decades of grinding and the accompanying blood/sweat, Take Offense have mastered their craft, reaching the pinnacle of their expansive sound. T.O.tality, their fourth overall album and label debut for MNRK Heavy, is marked with a sense of modernity– incorporating the hard-driving ethos of thrash, the finesse of speed metal, the sneering tenacity of hardcore all while nodding to their home of Southern California.

Take Offense look toward the tone and attitude of their California counterparts– bands like EXCEL and Suicidal Tendencies who also leaned heavily into skate aesthetics but worshipped Sunset Strip-and-adjacent guitar dieties like Warren Di Martini and Eddie Van Halen. T.O.tality is a love letter to that scene and those times, delivered in the form of an armada of fourteen nitro-equipped tracks that explode through barricades of genre convention and emptying the clip with fresh ideas. It’s a tribute to local heroes with familiar approaches that are wholly and undoubtedly Take Offense.