This band has flown under my radar, one of those names I recognize but never checked out. They play an industrial-strength metal, that leans close to death metal but is fairly chaotic in the progressive outbursts working in ample use of electronic sounds into the fray. This song also features guest vocals by members of Blind Folded and Led Into the Woods. The opener in a steadier Godflesh adjacent crunch, and then things get more abrasive on the second song that abandons most form and function jumping out like a monster at a haunted attraction to scream at you. It does make more sense the second time I listened to it. Most of these songs would benefit from multiple listens as they do hit you with a lot at once.
The darkness they create goes a long way to counterbalance the more overt aggressive tendencies that almost border grindcore. Comparisons could be drawn to Harms Way if those guys were not a hard-core band, as the more overt metal leanings play more to the overall sound of this album. They do not shy away from how big dramatic sounds that hardcore fans might think are pretentious. Often compared to Meshuggah, this was not something heard until "Slow Hell" which might bring to mind the mathematic Swedes' earlier work. Thought the vocals do take on more of the drill sergeant yell, than death metal growl at times.
There is no lack of chops here as ys are no less skilled than Meshuggah as there is a Joe Satriani-style solo in "Slow Hell"."Johnny Menomic" has a more straightforward machine like a chug. It grooves enough for fans of more mainstream metal without conforming to the status quo as the arrangement can be jarring at times. I am not normally one for hyper-technical shit, but the syncopation they hit on this song is sick. "Brute Fact" hits with a more feral explosion that holds more in common with grindcore. They balance out by putting weight punches where they need to be to keep my attention. This was another song I had to give an additional listen to to gather my thoughts about.
"The Bare Maximum" features a guitar solo by Ian Waye of Soreption. It brings a little chaos to a song that otherwise stomps your head in with more groove and a bit of ambiance lurking around the angular sonic wall. "Kryptonite Renegade" chugs with impressive heft, the first song that touches on a more metalcore feel. Chad Kapper of Frontierer lends his voice to the last song. It alternates between staccato chugs and in-your-face blasts, before wandering into an almost jazz-like section. At eight minutes this song is twice as sprawling, and as it is they already cram a great deal into a four-minute song, so it's a lot to take in. At the halfway point, it feels like it wants to build up into something more like Perturbator. Instead, they hit you with a dense groove. This album is stunning. I can not listen to it enough. If you like heavy music that does not allow itself to follow a middle path check this out. I will give it a 10.
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