BRODEQUIN : "Harbinger of Woe"

After 20 years Brodequin is breaking their silence to release their fourth album. I would not say they are one of Death Metal's biggest names by any stretch of the imagination, but they have enough of an underground following to warrant Season of Mist releasing this album. The drums are rapid-fire, under the more deliberate riffing as the vocals stay at an unintelligible gurgle.  This gurgle gives the songs a more uniform feel that relies on the guitar riffs to control the songs. By the time we are at "Fall of the Leaf" things have already gone awry into a brutal blur. There is a groove equal to what Cannibal Corpse musters on their more mid-paced filler. By the third song, the momentum has run away with them. The chanting of monks randomly thrown in is not going to break any new ground when it comes to atmosphere. 

There is little listening to reason when it comes to songwriting as they seem intent on making each song more brutal than the previous. The drummer is the number one offender in this regard as he is consumed by his need for speed, even when the guitar employs a riff that is a little more nuanced. "Of Pillars and Trees" is despite the maniacal pounding of their drummer the most melodic song so far. The vocals take on the cadence of a tortured pig without committing to a full-on squeal. Past the halfway mark, the album feels a little rushed. There are few moments of nuanced playing when it should be almost the whole album, rather than just trying to beat your ears with the riffs. It might be the heaviest album I have heard so far this year, but it's only January. 

"Vredens Dag" does have a few riffs that are allowed to breathe and create more of a song, but they are driven by a relentless speed, that offers little in the way of dynamics. "Suffocation in Ash" is less interesting than the last song. I will give this album a 7.5, there are strong moments, but they work off a sound more than they work on creating songs, and they have been around long enough to know better. The best thing about the album is the production which makes this sound like death metal for today rather than a band who last banged heads 20 years ago. 

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