ALBUM REVIEW: TEN56. - IO (05/09/2025) - TRACK BY TRACK
TW: the following review contains mentions of psychological and physical abuse, substance use, and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.
The French nu-deathcore super group ten56. have returned with their highly anticipated sophomore album, IO, a record that doubles down on the raw aggression and emotional themes that defined their debut, Downer. If their debut was a declaration of intent, IO is the full-blown execution of that vision. Compared to the two-part debut, IO feels like a cohesive experience. The transitions between tracks are seamless, creating a continuous flow of emotional catharsis that delves even deeper into the darkest corners of the human psyche. While the lyrical themes of personal trauma, betrayal, and mental turmoil are familiar territory, IO presents them with a newfound vulnerability.
Here’s a track-by-track breakdown of ten56.’s new album:
1. Doormat
The album opens with a visceral plunge into the feelings of utter dehumanisation. This song is a powerful journey from a place of brutal subjugation to a final moment of defiant clarity. The opening lines immediately establish a sense of complete physical and emotional abuse. Lyrics such as “Smash my face into the pavement / Subhuman, reduce me to a doormat” establish a narrative of complete powerlessness. Aaron Matt’s lyrics “Your sole forever branded on my back” describe a person who feels so worthless that they see their existence as serving no purpose other than to be trampled on. The grotesque description of “pelvic structure sinews, tendons snapped” is a chilling way to express that this feeling isn’t just emotional – it’s physical, as if the weight of oppression has broken the very skeleton and sinews. This first section of the song is a pure depiction of suffocating despair.
In a stunning reversal, the song shifts from submission to self-aware defiance. The line “There’s not a person on this planet that could slice me up quite as deep as me” is the central turning point. This acts as a revelation that the most significant pain comes from within, not from the external abuser. The repeated taunts “Come wipe off your sins on me, I will be your voodoo doll, I will be your punching bag” are metaphors filled with bitter sarcasm. The protagonist is mockingly accepting their role as a punching bag and shows that they are no longer a victim, but an active participant, highlighting the abuser’s pathetic need for their presence. This is showcasing a twisted form of control, where the “victim” is giving the abuser what they want, but on their own terms.
In the song's final section, Aaron flips the script, forcing them to look in the mirror and confront their own hypocrisy.
2. Pig
‘Pig’ takes the aggression built in Doormat and directs it with laser focus into a targeted attack against the abuser. This track immediately distinguishes itself with a more rhythmic, almost trap-metal-influenced intro, revealing a history of admiration that has soured into pure hatred. “I would’ve given everything just to be like you”, shows an initial state of idolisation, which is then brutally contrasted with the current reality, “Now I put on paper just how much I fucking hate you’’. Since the song’s initial release on 28 March 2025, this song has been regarded by fans as one of the darkest and aggressive ten56. songs ever written lyrically filled with repeated death threats, which showcases what adult rage born from childhood trauma sounds like. The lyrics describe a “childhood innocence, fucking ripped apart” and a wishful payback where the antagonist experiences the same level of pain they inflicted.
The final words, "Go to Hell," are not just a simple curse but a terminal statement - a final severing of all ties. The repetition of "Please don't rest in peace" is a final act of vengeance that denies the antagonist any form of solace, even in death. The song is a devastatingly honest portrayal of a mind unable to find peace until it fully exorcises its demons.
3. Snapped Neck
While the title might suggest a continuation of the violence from ‘Pig’, ‘Snapped Neck’ is one of the most experimental songs of the album, with a clean and melodic, nu-metal-inspired chorus that shifts into a more introspective space. The lyrics delve into themes of mental health, worthlessness, and the suffocating feeling of being trapped in a mental prison, a place the protagonist shares with their own mind, where a horrifying, taunting voice tells them they are "not worthy of this life." The lyrics shift from a personal confession to a defiant public declaration, as the protagonist invites others to "Come gather around so we can wallow in my pain". The protagonist reclaims the narrative, declaring, "Beast is how you'll remember me," transforming the ugly reality of their mental state into a terrifying, powerful identity. The final verses are a grim acceptance of their new reality. They have "fallen off the edge" and have now become the very thing they feared - the "pitch black nether." The final lines are a devastating conclusion: they have reached a state of bleak, lonely equilibrium where the torment hasn't disappeared, but has become a permanent part of who they are.
4. LIFEISACHORE.MOV
Serving as the album’s official announcement alongside ‘I Know Where You Sleep’ released on 11 July 2025, ‘LIFEISACHORE.MOV’ is a tongue-in-cheek mock commercial for a medication that promises to relieve “these annoying little things called “emotions”. This moment of dark humor is a clever nod to the emotional turmoil explored in the other tracks, satirising the modern desire to numb pain rather than confront it.
Aaron Matts shared via RockSound that they chose to announce the album alongside this “infomercial” because “it was important for us to give our audience a glimpse into what dark and twisted sounds and subject matter awaits on IO, whilst also not giving too much away as to where else we have pushed the bar in terms of sonic influence.”
5. I Know Where You Sleep
Released alongside ‘LIFEISACHORE.MOV’ as the album announcement, ‘I Know Where You Sleep’ is a minute and a half masterclass in building tension and dread through simplicity, offering early glimpses into their unsettling new world. The song is a short, terrifying horror story told from the perspective of a stalker. The lyrics immediately create tension, moving from a sense of comfort ("You're home / Safely, comfortably warm") to a chilling threat as the narrator reveals they are watching and "peacefully waiting to start the atrocities."
6. Good Morning
‘Good Morning’ feels less like a song and more like a fever-dream journal entry, capturing the horrifying reality of a mind and body in complete collapse due to addiction and withdrawal. This is given added weight by the lyrical connections to the band’s previous song, Diazepam.
The lyrics begin by establishing a visceral physical torment. The opening lines, "Blood running through my veins like acid," immediately set a tone of internal corruption. The speaker's suicidal ideation, expressed through the image of "mindless digging" for a grave, is a pragmatic response to a pain so profound that death seems the only logical escape.
The second verse is a textbook, first-person account of delirium tremens, complete with the hallucinatory sensation of "insects" crawling beneath the skin. The physical symptoms are laid bare with agonizing detail – “intestines rotten" a "liver forgotten," a "head [that] is an earthquake," and "joints and my bones" that ache.
7. Earwig
‘Earwig’ feels like the successor to some of the most aggressive tracks on ‘Downer’. The metaphor of an "earwig" is a perfect fit, representing a person who burrows into your mind and infects it with their toxic influence, forcing you to "ingest and regurgitate shit." This sets the tone for a brutal confrontation, a moment of painful clarity where the speaker sees the true nature of their aggressor. The instrumentation plays into this theme with various riffs, occasional jarring feedback, and an unsettling high-pitched screeching sound in the background that mimics the titular insect.
8. ICU
The title ‘ICU’ is a double entendre, referring to the Intensive Care Unit and the phrase "I see you." The lyrics speak of being caught in a self-destructive cycle and feeling watched or judged by others. The line, "The dirty foil is calling for me," suggests a struggle with substance abuse. The repeated refrain of "I see you" takes on a haunting quality, as if the tormentor - be it a person, a personal demon, or addiction - is omnipresent. The song's oppressive, down-tuned atmosphere captures the feeling of being trapped with no way out.
9. PTY FCK
‘PTY FCK’ stands out for its sinister mood and narrative depth. The lyrics tell a dark tale of being used and discarded in a toxic relationship. Matts exposes the power imbalance with lyrics like "Your pockets full that makes me the whore" and the imagery of "eating shit on all fours." The protagonist initially thought they were "irreplaceable," but the song's brutal honesty forces them to confront the reality that they were "another piece of meat." The slower and heavier instrumentation mixed with the use of multiple voices and blood-gargling vocal effects gives the song a truly theatrical, horror-movie quality, making it one of the most unique tracks on the album.
10. Friends
This song is a true showcase of ten56.'s ability to craft emotional narratives not just through lyrics, but through the very fabric of their sonic composition. The music here is a fractured, unsettling labyrinth of distorted guitars and off-kilter rhythms, perfectly reflecting the song's themes.
As you probably expected ‘Friends’ is not a story of friendship, but a chilling exploration of co-dependent malice. The lyrics unfold as a rapid-fire dialogue, with one character panicking over being caught ("We're both going in for life") and the other revelling in the psychopathic thrill of the act ("I'm in love with this").
The vocal performance is a masterclass in emotional delivery. Aaron Matts utilises a range of stacked vocal deliveries, from speaking to strained and beyond desperate vocals representing his rage and frustration.
‘Friends’ is another powerful standout piece that showcases the band's growth. It moves beyond their earlier work's externalised “loud” rage and into a more nuanced, intimate form of torment purely focused on sound design.
11. Banshee
A banshee is a wailing female spirit that foretells death. This track is the embodiment of a haunting and relentless entity. It consists of demonic gutturals mixed with glitch guitar riffs, creating an unsettling atmosphere and capturing a moment of spiralling self-destruction.
Aaron Matts confirmed in an interview with Wall of Sound that the band name is based on the 10-56 radio police code, which indicates suicide or a suicide attempt. In this song's lyrics, the numbers (One, Zero, Five, and Six) are used to make an analogy of the disturbed and shattered mind of the protagonist, who, in the end, kills himself by hanging.
12. IO
This song is a bold, vulnerable, almost serene, unexpected departure from a brutal album in the best way possible. Deliberately stripping back all instrumentation for a simple hip-hop beat, ‘IO’ is a catchy confession from Matts and a final plea for understanding the profound emotional and psychological prison he inhabits. The chorus reinforces this sense of exhaustion, "There's nothing that I haven't already said / Always making it about myself / Another sad song about me and my head / Poor me, give me sympathy." These lines reveal the protagonist's profound weariness with their own narrative of suffering. They feel trapped in a "self-made web of lies", a cycle of pain so repetitive and well-worn that it has become unbearable. There is no new way to articulate the torment, only a resigned acceptance that the story has already been told and there’s nothing left to be said.
Full of some of the best clean vocals and singing on the album, IO proves that the most impactful moments can come from the quietest truths.
From the moment they burst onto the scene, ten56. has been celebrated for their raw aggression. Songs like ‘Pig’ and ‘Earwig’ showcase a band that has mastered creating heavy soundscapes. However, the true brilliance of this album lies not just in their mastery of chaos but in their fearless willingness to experiment and evolve. Throughout their discography, they’ve demonstrated a remarkable ability to push their boundaries on tracks such as ‘Snapped Neck’, ‘PTY FCK’, ‘Friends’, ‘Banshee’, and ‘IO’, which is perhaps their boldest move yet.
This duality of their signature aggression coupled with a clear, strategic desire to experiment boundaries is what makes ten56. so compelling right now.
With this album, the band has not only honed their signature sound but also pushed the boundaries of what deathcore can be.
To celebrate the album's release, ten56. are currently on their first-ever EU/UK headline tour. The band is joined by special guests Cabal, VCTMS, and The Dali Thundering Concept.
Words by Vlad-Paul Ghilaș (Platform ‘96)