Saltwound sharpen their Norcal Violence sound on Pound of Flesh with Ringo Waterman
Saltwound have released a new standalone single, Pound of Flesh, featuring a guest appearance from Mugshot vocalist Ringo Waterman.
Out now via SharpTone Records, the track arrives with an accompanying video and finds the Sacramento band leaning into a dense collision of deathcore weight, metalcore abrasion and low-slung grooves. Waterman’s contribution adds another rough edge to a track built around serrated riffs and blunt-force momentum.
Pound of Flesh follows Saltwound’s 2024 full-length The Temptation of Pain, though the new release stands apart as a standalone single. The band have described their sound as “Norcal Violence”, and the latest cut carries that identity through its hostile, tightly wound attack.
A song about being picked apart
Vocalist Spencer Timmons has explained that the lyrics examine the demands and resentment placed upon a person by those around them.
“Everybody just wants to take a chunk out of you for themselves. Those who profess to love you want a piece to legitimize themselves by proximity, while those who hate you just want whatever they can carve out of you for the sake of spite,” Timmons says.
“Some days I honestly prefer the people that hate me more; at least there’s an innate honesty there.”
The video for Pound of Flesh is available now, while the track can also be heard across streaming platforms. Watch the video here or stream the single here.
Death Coast ’26 dates with Cultist
Saltwound will take the new material out on the road later this month with Cultist on the Death Coast ’26 tour, heading through Arizona, California, Washington and Oregon. Tickets are on sale now.
- 21 August – Phoenix, AZ – The Underground
- 22 August – San Luis Obispo, CA – Humdinger Brewing
- 23 August – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s
- 25 August – Spokane, WA – The Big Dipper
- 26 August – Seattle, WA – Funhouse at El Corazon
- 27 August – Portland, OR – Twilight Cafe & Bar
- 28 August – Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial
