Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress is Gulch’s debut album, and it spans only slightly under 16 minutes in total—and the longest track of the bunch is actually a cover (more on that soon). This might raise all kinds of questions about whether or not this qualifies as an album, though by the standards of a band this harsh, incendiary and bloodthirsty, it’s essentially the perfect length. Of course, “hardcore” doesn’t quite accurately summarize all of what the Calfornia band packs into each sub-two-minute demonic exorcism. The leadoff title track bursts open with lightning-speed fills and the dynamic immediacy of Converge at their most blistering. At 1:57, “Cries of Pleasure, Heavenly Pain” feels utterly epic, its d-beat gallop preceded by an ominous intro that oozes for nearly half the length of the song. There’s a sludgy mosh-pit churn to “Self-Inflicted Mental Terror,” an unstoppable storm of rage in “Lie, Deny, Sanctify,” a few brief moments of breakneck boogie on “All Fall Down the Well,” and so on. The moments of stylistic dazzle between those of phlegm-flecked rampage happen in brief intervals but often enough to turn an already exhilarating release into one that rewards closer listening.