From a press release:
Formed in Luzerne County in 2015, metalcore/mathcore outfit Toothless fuses the chaotic elements of bands like The Chariot and The Dillinger Escape Plan with heavy riffs and melodies along the lines of Norma Jean and Every Time I Die.
After releasing three EPs, starting with their self-titled in 2016, the Wilkes-Barre-based group has returned in 2026 with their long-awaited debut full-length, “Past Futures,” an album that transforms years of personal, social, and emotional unrest into their most focused and expansive work to date.
With their first new music in six years, following up their 2020 EP “Misinformed,” the 11-track LP captures the tension between personal struggle and the larger world’s growing instability. It was recorded, edited, and mixed in Burlington, Connecticut at Silver Bullet Studios by Greg Thomas, Chris Teti, and Dennis Tuohey, then mastered by Will Putney, with artwork by Taylor Bates.
Lead single “Forced Purpose” and its haunting music video introduce the record’s core identity – volatile, relentless, and unflinchingly honest. The song channels the album’s dominant themes of cycles of history repeating, disillusionment, self-destruction, manipulation, and the psychological weight of navigating a world buried in misinformation. Sonically, “Past Futures” expands Toothless’ metalcore foundation into something more dynamic and emotionally layered, balancing technical aggression with moments of stark vulnerability.
“This album and its lyrics have really served as an outlet for the thoughts and emotions I’ve had over the last few years,” vocalist Travis Antoniello said.
“Themes of escapism – feeling like we’re stuck in a loop of history repeating itself. Being conned, acting self-destructive. Wondering what could possibly be going through someone’s head as they abandon their humanity. Trying to find the truth in an endless onslaught of misinformation.”
The record arrived on Jan. 27 in the shadow of heavy real-world events but refused apathy, urging listeners toward empathy and reflection.
With “Past Futures,” Toothless delivered not just their first full-length, but their most urgent statement yet – a document of confusion, frustration, hope, and resistance, forged in a time when those emotions feel impossible to avoid. It is available in multiple handmade vinyl variants via Brooklyn, New York-based indie label Silent Pendulum Records and is now streaming across all major platforms.
Supporting the release, the band started the year with a short tour with labelmates Bore, then recently played two shows in downtown Scranton – the first at Goblin Alchemy with six touring acts and the second at The Ritz Theater opening for Traverse the Abyss. Next up, they’ll hit Poppy’s Tavern (64 E. Lincoln Ave., Hatfield) on Saturday, May 23 with Duress and Ambiera, Barbed Wire Fest at Bonk’s Bar (3467 Richmond St., Philadelphia) on Sunday, May 31, and The V-Spot (906 Providence Rd., Scranton) on Friday, June 26 with No Fight No Victory, Bedroom Floor, and When Hell Ascends Tonight, with more high-intensity shows to come this summer.
“Toothless are a breath of fresh air for the metalcore and hardcore scenes. Their chaotic yet intelligently constructed songs engage not just on an auditory level but a cerebral one as well,” wrote Taylor Markarian of Alternative Press.
“Smash together the swaggering hardcore confrontation of Every Time I Die and The Chariot and add a dose of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s time-signature-torturing insanity and what do you get? Toothless, for one,” added Sammi Chichester of Revolver Magazine.
Learn more about Toothless and their new album in Episode 234 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
