(written by Islander)
It has been a long wait for more music from the French death/grind band Balance of Terror. They released their World Laboratory debut album in the summer of 2017, and then fell silent, at least in terms of recordings, until now. But at last they will have their second album released on December 11th by Transcending Obscurity Records.
The name of the album is Addicted To Any Kind Of Rot. That title sends a certain kind of hungry chemical signal into the brains of people who relish morbid musical filth. Some of the song names reinforce those signals, while others also add expectations of drunkenness and delirium.
But we should tell you right away that Balance of Terror’s new music is more crafty and creative than these superficial impressions might lead you to believe, and you’ll get first-hand evidence of that in the song we’re now premiering: “Morbid Gluttony“.
“Keeping the momentum unabated, the songs progress in unexpected ways by adding technical flourishes, dissonant passages, melodic breaks and so on. To do so within the framework of death/grind music and not significantly alter the overall sound is no mean feat, and the fact that they do this consistently and slightly differently each time is a testament to the songwriting prowess.
That’s how Transcending Obscurity previews this new album, and as you’ll discover, they’re not wrong.
The riffing within “Morbid Gluttony” does indeed provide a channel of foulness, like a surging slurry of fetid squalor, and the guttural vocals themselves sound toxic as well as morbid. But the roiling riffage also miserably moans, wails, and busily feeds, and unhinged screams and squeals join the monstrous roars.
Hard-hitting drums and magma-like bass-lines drive the momentum, but it’s the fast-flying fretwork that’s responsible for the song’s feeling of burgeoning madness. Balance of Terror also segment their riotous and ruined tirades with gut-punching grooves, squirming dual-guitar arpeggios that introduce moods of sinister eeriness and freakish ecstasy, and a guitar solo that sounds like a quivering insect swarm.
And so, the music is indeed gruesome and ghastly, foul and ferocious, but it’s an adventurously conceived and sharply executed head-spinner too.
BALANCE OF TERROR is:
Quentin Guilluy: Bass
Mathieu Desaint (Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition, Darkall Slaves): Drums
Flo Butcher (Relics of Humanity, Tortured): Vocals
Gaz Oil: Guitar
Nicolas Cornet: Guitar
The eye-popping cover art for Addicted To Any Kind Of Rot was created by the veteran Par Olofsson. Transcending Obscurity will release it on jewelcase CD and digital formats, with the label’s usual array of apparel and other merch choices, and they recommend it for fans of Cryptopsy, Napalm Death, Misery Index, Dying Fetus, and Suffocation. See the links below for details.
After the links we’re also including videos for the first two singles from the album (which are also the first two songs on the track list), “Unethetical Steroid Abuse” and “Inebriated Perversity”
PRE-ORDER:
https://balanceofterror-label.bandcamp.com/album/addicted-to-any-kind-of-rot
https://us.tometal.com/
http://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/
http://eu.tometal.com/
BALANCE OF TERROR:
https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063692281513
https://instagram.com/balanceofterror