This Irish band is a late entry into this year's metal race, but a weird and wonderful one. They balance out a death metal lace grind-core with some raw and unsettling atmosphere. The vocals are uttered in a low growl or a rabid snarl. The grindcore side of their songwriting equation keeps things very economical and makes every chug count. When they are committed to giving you a pounding they are fully invested. "The Endless Knot" has more of a hardcore attack to it. "Fissures in that Which is Reflected" is more deliberate with its slow and steady sludge-like chug.
"Homini Sacer" comes at you with a more feral flash of snapping teeth. The playing here seems to bring the message that in his heart of hearts, the drummer is more into punk than metal. They are capable of crashing down with a more metallic intensity, and the howl of vocals falls on the more metal side of the equation. The descent into the chaotic shadows stirred by the sonic torture chamber is tightly reined and still song-focused. "Nala Ukhthaz" is a two-part song the first being ambient noise that turns into black metal of sorts. The second part finds them unleashing the heaviest chugs yet. The vocals shift into something more akin to anguished hardcore. Three and a half minutes into it and things get really crfazy like free-form jazz.
"Four Walls" is the opposite of the previous song. It shows the band appreciates actual singing and things like melody, though I would prefer that they would have worked something like this into what they normally do so you would be hit with both things at the same time. Instead, this just feels like an outro. I will round this album down to a 9, as it gets a little noisy, but is overall more rewarding a listen than not when it comes to very heavy bands taking some sonic risks.
No comments:
Post a Comment