This New Jersey four-piece cram a well-chosen cross-section of appetite-whetting talent within the three songs comprising this demo. While "I, Punishment" initially hooks the listener, it is "Engines" that throttle this effort into full gear -- richly choppy and thick, Tom Nolz's forcefully clean vocals attach a tough-guy rhythm to not just the music, but reality's harshness communicated throughout the lyrics. Along with Tom's vocal / guitar double duty, CJ supplies some skillful, though tempered, solos lightly throughout the EP. Rounding out the punishment department in Skullshifter's member registry are J. McCaffrey on bass and Dan Davie on drums.

The simplicity of the tracks has a primitive, pulsating allure -- that is without question. At the same time, this also provides a baseline of regular continuity that comes across as elementary for an outfit like Skullshifter. In the plus column, _Here in Hell_ was mixed at the hands of producer Simon Efemey (Cancer, Amorphis, Napalm Death). If the upcoming full-length due out soon highlights material in line with Skullshifter's work on the title track, "Here in Hell", it will certainly be like a signed pardon for the band from their self-described perdition.