(Andy Synn is a busy man right now, but still found time to recommend three killer EPs today)
Despite the fact that our work here at NCS may give the impression that we’re a professional, well-oiled machine (right?), the truth is that we don’t necessarily plan out everything we do here in advance.
That’s not to say there’s no plan at all – Islander in particular tries to stay on top of upcoming and new releases for his various round-up columns, and we’re all indebted to DGR for putting in the extra effort to produce a plethora of reviews in advance of our blog-break in May – but we do like to leave a little wiggle room in our schedule so we can be spontaneous and adapt to changing circumstances.
Case in point, today’s article includes three EPs (devastating down-tempo Deathcore from Canada, ugly, uncompromising Death-Grind from Indonesia, and vicious Blackened Hardcore from the good ol’ US of A) that I only recently discovered, and decided – pretty much at the last minute – that I wanted to write about.
BEYOND DEVIATION – ENTITIES
If you’re looking for something absolutely pulverising… something utterly merciless and unforgiving… then the new EP from Beyond Deviation should be exactly what you need.
Landing somewhere between Black Tongue and early Whitechapel, blended with the ultra-down-tuned, almost percussive, guitar work of Humanity’s Last Breath, the sound of Entities is all about being heavier than everyone else, with the harrowing screams and utterly hammering rhythms of opener “Melancholy” immediately setting the bar very high (or very low, depending on your perspective).
Sure, there’s the occasional moment of eerie nuance – the unsettling ambient synths that shimmer and shiver in the background of “Extinct” serve to add some suitably spooky texture to the track, for example – but the primary purpose of this EP is simply to deliver the nastiest, gnarliest sonuc bludgeoning possible (with some of the blast-fuelled bursts and colossal, crushing riffs of “Cold” effectively blending Downtempo Deathcore and Brutal Death Metal into one uber-heavy amalgam).
Of course, if you’re not a fan of “Deathcore” (in whatever form or definition it may take) then Entities is unlikely to change your mind – after all, the title-track is essentially the platonic ideal of what this form of Deathcore can be, just pure, uncompromising brutality and eye-popping vocal intensity from beginning to end – but if you’re looking to get your skull caved in as efficiently and effectively as possible then this might just be what you need.
FERAL WOUND – CHASE DEATH
Death Metal Grind-Punks Feral Wound are definitely not fucking about on their new EP, Chase Death, which kicks off with the ragged, bleeding riffs and jagged, jarring drums of “Opus Belli” and then basically doesn’t let up until the final, fading chugs of doom-laden closer “Bellum Inane”.
And while the band’s sound – sitting somewhere between Grave and Brutal Truth, with a hefty dose of Incantation, Nasum, and maybe even some Devourment in there as well – clearly prioritises raw aggression and instant impact (with the trem-heavy attack of “Rotting Glory” erring more towards the Death Metal side of things, while the title-track throws some punkier, thrashier touches into the mix as well), that’s not to say that they’re afraid of throwing in a few curveballs here and there to keep you on your toes.
“Somber Star”, for example, introduces both some menacingly doomy vibes at the beginning and some unexpectedly dark melody closer to the end, while “Perdition” focuses significantly more on grim, grinding groove and razor-sharp hooks than any of the other tracks, helping keep things fresh and dynamic without losing that stripped-down and savage sensibility.
The biggest surprise, however, is the incorporation of the slompret – which the internet informs me is a traditional Indonesian reed instrument – during “Bellum Inane”, which is the sort of subtle experimentation I’d love to hear more of from Feral Wound in the future, to help them stand out from the pack even more!
SALT DIVINATION – THE BOILED SORCERESS
The duo of Michael Morgan (vocals, bass, guitar) and Ben Koller (drums) have really hit upon a rich seam of nasty, abrasive audio-violence with their debut EP, The Boiled Sorceress, which lands somewhere in between Zao at their most frenzied (Morgan’s vocals in particular are almost a dead-ringer for Dan Weyand’s throat-scarring snarl) and Hexis at their most unhinged.
Sure, there’s also a bit of Converge-esque influence from Koller, and maybe even a bit of early Celeste, but the sheer intensity of the band’s sound largely makes these comparisons moot in the moment, as your ears will be too busy burning and bleeding for you to really care.
What you will care about, however, is just how hard these three tracks hit, with opener “Dead Palm Reader” delivering a two-and-a-half minute barrage of frenzied blastbeats and bone-sawing riffs that situate the duo firmly on the Black/Grind end of the spectrum, while both “Octillion Cord” and “A Spring Flows Through Broken Stone” err a little more towards the harsher, more chaotic side of the band’s Metallic Hardcore influences (Zao, Converge, etc), whiplashing back and forth between squalling violence, screaming discordance, and choppy, churning, riff-driven groove.
Make no mistake about it, this is one project I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on… it’s just a shame it took me so long to stumble across them in the first place!