Mutilation Rites : "Harbringer"

The first thing I think of when I think of this band is I have no idea where my Mutilation Rites Shirt is.Seeing them live they were so loud all the riffs bleed together into more of a sonic pounding. So it will be interesting to see how these songs translate. There is more of a sonic element that is receiving attention to detail on this album, and the attack feels less thrash inspired. Not to say they don't throw some blasting in. it is just used much more tastefully. The guitar tone is more organic and spacious on this album as well, are some of the immediate thoughts that come to mind.

That is not too say this album is devoid of thrash influence as"Exhaling or Breathing in" has some mandatory heading in the riffage midway through.Their is also the ultra thrash filled "Contaminate" that is going to be a lot of fun for those into old school metal. "Suffer the Children" also has some thrash elements in the manner the speedy guitar shows it's teeth, but find some dynamic ground that goes into a more sonic place than what you think of when it comes to thrash, but the vocals keep everything blackened in some respect.

 The dense nature and adherence to their style makes it sound like "Tactical Means of Ouroboros" is a continuation of the previous song.The vocals somewhat attribute to this element, as the growls and screamed are barely articulated making the lyrical element totally obtuse.The drum break is where the song begins rather than it just being a renewed fervor for blasting. The verse riff and the low gurgled vocals are pretty straight forward to the point of almost sounding like death metal until the second verse takes a more sonic turn. The guitars eventually ring out in a more experimental manner that might remind you of Liturgy.

The only time it sounds like the almost get lost speeding through the labyrinth of blast beats in on "Gravitational Collapse." There are a few cool punches that help the song congeal into something more powerful in the song's third act.  The albums ends on a blast with "Conspiracy of Silence" coming out of the shadows with a very second wave of NBM sound, with only the spastic cadence of the harsh vocals to separate it  from Darkthrone. The main riff that is almost a call and response to the blasting part , has a powerful heft to it

Overall this album is short and sweet with the opener being the longest song on the album at 7 minutes. The song writing is more mature without the band having to abandon their feral tendencies.This album passes in a blur, sometimes the songs bleed in together and the pummeling numbs you out, but I think it's a forward step for the band and I will give this one an 8.