(Andy Synn invites you all to get crushed by the new album from Belgian brutalists Storm Upon the Masses)
Did you know that, according to leading medical professionals, just 30-40 minutes of brutality a day can lead to drastic improvements in your physical fitness, me(n)tal health, and even your sex life?
It’s true!
So, if you were put off by Aborted‘s slight turn towards the ‘core end of the spectrum (I wasn’t, but I know some of you were), or felt that the new Hour of Penance needed a bit more bite and are looking for something to fill the void then the new album from Storm Upon the Masses should be just what the doctor ordered.
Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that Storm Upon the Masses are quite on the same level as the two bands mentioned above – not yet – but considering this is only the band’s second album, they’re well on their way.
That being said, the best moments of Crusher of Souls remind me more of latter-day Benighted or exceptionally underrated extremists Emeth than anyone else, as songs like in-your-face opener “Seas of Infinite Plague” and the straight-for-the-throat savagery of late-album highlight “Arterial Red” find the band operating, with lethal efficiency, at the nexus point of Brutal, Tech, and Grind-influenced Death Metal.
The band don’t always have their foot on the gas by any means – the humongous grooves and bone-grinding bludgeoning of mid-album monsters “Return to Ash” and “Crusher of Souls” hit just as hard as anything from the more super-sonic end of the spectrum – but you’re never very far from a sudden explosion of blitzkrieg blastbeats and string-shredding shrapnel.
But even at their fastest and most ferocious they aren’t afraid to weave in some spiky, high-velocity hooks, with major second-half stand-out “Cauldron of Carnage” really showcasing just what Storm Upon the Masses are capable of when all the elements of their unrelentingly OTT sound – rapid-fire, cruelly-catchy riffs, murderously precise percussive blasts, and staccato, neck-wrecking rhythms – line up perfectly.
So I have two pieces of advice when it comes to Crusher of Souls – first, don’t sleep on it (you’ll regret it if you do) and, secondly, don’t expect to be able to sleep after hearing it, as it’ll take a while for your adrenaline levels to settle down to normal!