I am always willing to give these guys a shot. Their last album "Harvest" got an 8, so better than most, but not something I will listen to again, though there is an audience getting what they want. Production-wise things are raw, and the raspy vocals deliver things with a Motorhead-like passion. Not angry just a sullen declaration.; I think the most impressive thing is to be from Philly they almost sound like they are from England. There is more of a gallop to "Attrition" which is a pretty well-written song that is a little darker than your average punk, the only drawback is the vocals, which two songs finds the delivery of both songs muttered uniformly. The guitar has more interesting layers on this one. There is a little more of a folkish melody buried in the clang of the chords.
Medevil punk is how they are marketed but that sounds like another way of saying metal, and even on this album it's certainly very metal-adjacent. Songs breaking the four-minute mark are almost over-indulgent for punk. However, they are quick to remind you on "Execute" that they are an honest-to-good punk band, though this plays for them as much as it does against them in equal measure, as it follows the punk conventions to a fault. "Laid to Waste" has a little more personality, leaning even more into the expectations of punk, but the vocals which are more yelled sit back against the guitar and everything feels more natural
The vocals make more of an effort on "Sanctuary" which closes the album. The production makes some interesting choices as well. The guitars are well-layered while still capturing the raw sound you expect from punk. All of these creative touches make this the album's best song. It has a more spacious brooding feel. I will give this a 9, making it a huge step forward from the last album, the songwriting is more finely tuned. I am not likely going to spend a great deal of more time with this album but have enjoyed what I heard of it. Fans of raw metal with moody metal leanings should check this album out. Being released by Relapse Records.
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