When I first read of Bullet Treatment’s “revolving door” policy for its band members, my first thought was, Wow, this band must be really dysfunctional. Why would they be proud of that? But after doing some research, I realized that their ethics are a lot more functional than most bands.

If you look at their previous releases, you would see that almost every track features a different vocalist, making their upcoming releases a constant guessing game. However, for Ex-Breathers, the featured vocalist on all six tracks is Jordan Salazar from Vultures United (I figured it out!), whose voice works perfectly with Chuck Dietrich’s neck-breaking guitar playing, in a style that resembles hardcore punk from the early ’80s.  In the opening of “The Escapist,” Salazar speaks in a low voice, “I need to get out of here,” only to plunge into a throat-wrenching yell, reminiscent of many Black Flag songs.

Each track is less than a minute and a half in length, and the whole record clocks in at a little more than six minutes (not including the bonus tracks) — it’s like being brutally beaten in an alleyway and left for dead, with no idea who attacked you or where they ran off to. Ex-Breathers is an EP you will have to listen to again and again — the first listen flies by so quickly.

(Basement Records, PO Box 511, La Habra, CA 90633-0511)