Recently me and my partner had an all out weekend of gigs comprising of Rap, Noise, Powerviolence, Ska, Punk and so forth, needless to say it was pretty varied. Now they say variety is the spice of life but here is where I disagree. Naturally we both had a fantastic time but towards the end of the final gig we both commented to each other about just how excited we were to see some Metal bands again. For us Metal is everything, give me a full weekend of any other music and by the end I’ll be gasping for Metal, but give me a Metal weekend or at least one laced with Metal and I’ll be more than content.
Giving me the main supplement to my mostly Metal mind come Brutal Death Metal bruisers Embludgeonment. Hailing from New Jersey and featuring John Hartman of Mortal Decay and ex-Waking The Cadaver what have they got to lose? Adding to this bolstering New Jersey pedigree they also have a gleaming seal of approval in the form of their signing to Comatose Music. Their first full length Infinite Regress was released in 2013 but now they are set to blaze forward in 2019 with their second full length effort Barn Burner, but will it be a Brutal Death revelation?
Things kick off in a pretty atypical fashion with a good helping of traditional Brutal Death Metal themes in the crashing drums and relatively clean cut yet crushing guitars which even open up into more Slam infused sections. This is all complimented by the Dying Fetus styled vocals which are somewhere between modern Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal and even Hardcore. Vociferation sees the themes of Slam built upon more in a Devourment worshipping style, something that is sure to please any long time fan of the Slamming Brutal Death Metal genre. The first half of this album really takes me back to my first indulgence into this amazing genre and fills me with purulent joy.
Entering the second half of the album we are put under the spell of Slam by Witch Cunt an all out Old School Slam abyss of destructive might and possibly the strongest song on this maniacal album. Keeping up the barbarity is Gruesome Mortification a faster track displaying the more savage side of this well rounded band, although it is still sprinkled with Slam goodness at points. The closing two tracks bring more Brutal Death madness to the table keeping things fresh still with the addition of a crazed solo in Cervical Fracture.
Overall Barn Burner is a true Brutal Death Metal gem and sees a real resurgence in early Slam ideals. As I often say when commenting about Brutal Death Metal you can’t beat this sound. Sure there are plenty of good bands out their flirting with Deathcore or Tech but this is the real stuff right here. This album represents everything I ever wanted when I first discovered Death Metal, that sense of obliteration and crushing might, heaviness for the sake of heaviness with no let up and no frills. Get those hammers out, tonight we go Slamming!
(9/10 George Caley)
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