Behind the onrushing metalcore tide that courses through Mouth of the South’s Transparency is a believer’s hard-won humility. Though this Texas quintet chug and break down with brutal force, their debut album makes clear that redemption rather than rage is the primary goal. MOTS serve up enough bone-shaking detuned guitar, explosive blast beats, and throat-searing harsh vocals to keep the music at a fever pitch. A close listening to the soul-bearing lyrics reveals a fearless honesty that doesn’t allow room for complaisant faith. “Wash me clean, I am so desperate to be free,” vocalist Josiah Lyle roars out in “Riddance,” one of many self-scourging tracks here. From the hammering sonic blows of “Prologue” through the slicing riffage of “Monologue” and squealing slink of “Epilogue,” the sound and content of Transparency is unremittingly intense. For all the fire and brimstone that seethe through these songs, there are glimmers of salvation that emerge just when the mood seems the bleakest. An acoustic sing-along treatment of the hymn “Nothing but the Blood” offers a moment of almost-shocking spiritual clarity, bringing this raging storm of an album to a final rest.