Incite - Savage New Times (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Simon Black]
Not for the first time this year, I have been exposed to a band that have been at this for more than two decades, but who had somehow completely passed me by. Incite have been grinding their groove since 2004 and are the brainchild of Richie Cavalera, who clearly learned a fair few tricks regarding how to write songs of head-noddingly catchy brutality from his stepfather. After two EP’s and six studio albums you could be forgiven for wondering if their best output may be behind them but starting as I am with album number seven - which kicks the door down with a freshness and level of polish that feels like an early outing from someone brand new with something to prove, I find myself pleasantly surprised.
Fair enough, everyone has something to prove each and every time, especially in these times of more fickle and short-spanned attention in the audience department, but this record does not feel like it’s the product of a band that have been at it for half a lifetime. OK, again technically the fact that the line up has changed completely behind Richie every few years (especially where the revolving door of guitarists is concerned, although the current rhythm section has been stable for over a decade), yet the whole band sound is very cohesively tight, and for a four piece they are particularly crisp and focussed in their delivery.
Musically the influences are clearly from the groove and thrash metal end of the spectrum, but this does not sound like a band trying to ape what their founder’s stepfather and some of his contemporaries were trying to do when he was a kid. These songs don’t hang around either, with a no frills, no padding and fat free delivery that’s all about hammering the message home hard, and very, very fast. The production is fairly stripped back as well, which really helps hammer the delivery in, because this feels like the band have just rolled up, plugged in and let rip with minimal takes, which really helps with the overall brutality of the tone.
This is tight, punchy and relevant stuff, with enough sounds from this decade in the mix to go with the traditional ones you might expect. It’s to the point and absolutely brutal Post Thrash, and I have a big smile on my face. 8/10
Martyr – Dark Believer (ROAR) [Cherie Curtis]
Martyr has been on the heavy metal scene since 1982 and has toured with the likes of Trivium and Saxon. As they’re not new to the scene they know what they do best, and it is well established through their new release Dark Believer.
This new one offers us 9 tracks of heavy metal powerhouses; each track has an expansive range dipping in and out of soft-spoken vocals to gritty metal screams and piercing background harmonies that reminds me of Iron Maiden. All of which are accompanied by face melting breakdowns so attention grabbing it's hard to get comfortable.
What’s great about this album is that it exists in its own world, it’s almost theatrical. No minute of each song sounds the same for example; Harvest Of Souls begins with a sharp spiralling guitar solo with layers of deep heavy metal vocals and sharp harmonies, before slowing down and giving us a slow passionate verse and Dark Believer is fast and echoed, the vocals are sharp and biting, and the guitars have glorious sustain.
Dark Believer is euphoric and indulgent; more is more here and at times it’s a little overwhelming on the senses. However, Martyr is very complex and considering they have been around for a while it comes to no surprise that they are expert in their delivery. Dark Believer is a brilliant album and definitely a highlight to my week. 9/10
Grand Cadaver - The Rot Beneath (Majestic Mountain Records) [Matt Bladen]
The pandemic was quite a fertile time for musicians despite the lack of gigging, it resulted in a lot of new bands and a few supergroups too. One such supergroup is Grand Cadaver, an ode to HM-2 Swededeath, it consists of five Gothenburg scene veterans with experience in Dark Tranquility, Tiamat, Katatonia and more.
They released an EP in 2021, then quickly a full length debut, a second full length in 2023 and now another EP that doesn't scrimp on the OSDM worship. Inspired by the state of the world today, the four tracks here viciously attack the status quo, a volatile examination of death, war, corruption and the spilts in society. Typical death metal lyrical ideas then set to some old school death metal worship.
The initial blast of Blood Red Banner slows into some stomping groove hinged on Christian Jansson's filthy bass, inviting you to stomp around your living room. Mikael Stanne's visceral vocals bark about the corruption of the humanity as the riffs come fast and savage from Stefan Lagergren and Alex Stjernfeldt, the duo showcasing their progressive versatility on The Endless Day, the drumming of Daniel Liljekvist speeding along like his feet are on fire.
With Darkened Apathy, there's a smorgasbord of what has come before, a bit of speed, some stomp, even a bit of doom but all wrapped up neatly and noisily. The Rot Beneath keeps the this Grand Cadaver moving forward with vehemence. 8/10
Abhorrent Expanse – Enter The Misanthropocene (Amalgam Music) [Spike]
Some albums announce themselves with a hook. Others drift in slowly before the storm hits. Enter The Misanthropocene doesn’t do either. It arrives like a building collapse, chaotic, overwhelming, and strangely captivating.
Across eleven tracks, Abhorrent Expanse blend freeform improvisation with the weight and hostility of death metal, and the unsettling textures of avant-garde jazz. It’s not an easy listen but I don’t think it was designed to ever be so. The opening title track is all fractured percussion and jagged brass, like a demolition crew scoring a horror film.
There are moments where the chaos loosens its grip just enough to reveal space, Crystal Proliferation In Subharmonic Space and Waves Of Grace both feel like falling into an alien landscape where the air itself vibrates. Drenched Onyx takes that unease and turns it into something suffocating, a claustrophobic swirl of drones, distorted horns, and bass rumble.
The album closes with Prostrate Before Chthonic Devourment, a sprawling descent into slow-motion dread, layering piano, electronics, and subterranean rhythms until the last note finally lets you breathe. It’s a record that resists the idea of background listening, once you’re in, you’re in for the whole ride.
This is music that demands patience but rewards it with an atmosphere unlike anything else. Not for the faint-hearted but utterly absorbing for those willing to surrender to the noise. 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment