I like to remember those earlier days of me discovering Brutal Death, the shock I felt, the excitement at Slams, all but a distant memory. Now I’ve seen it all, heard it all and have become somewhat of a snob of the genre. At least to the extent that I’ll easily write off mediocrity nowadays. Our band for today however are anything but mediocre, in fact I would place them as a pillar of the UK Brutal Death scene.

I am of course referring to Twitch Of The Death Nerve a band formed in 2004 and one whom I can distinctly remember from days of trawling Myspace (if you can remember what that was). My love for the band started with their debut split with Bludgeon and Corpse Carving, titled And Then There Were Three from 2005. Then in 2014 the band shook the Brutal Death underground with a signing to Comatose Music and a full-on full length in A New Code Of Morality. This was then followed in 2020 by the crazy good A Resting Place For The Wrathful. Now my rage at this band being so underappreciated is at a boiling point, can their latest EP, Beset By False Prophets turn the tide for them finally!

The EP opens with The Wages Of Faith, pummelling Brutal Death instrumentation laced with Defeated Sanity-like Tech and the unmistakable ultra-guttural vocals of Tom Bradfield, arguably one of the most underrated Death Metal singers the scene has to offer. Following this comes Facadism which flows from the opener nicely adding splashes of melody into the guitars whilst retaining a very atypical and indeed enjoyable Brutal Death tone. At The Trail Of The Exhumed Pope continues in similar fashion, if you already know Twitch (not the gaming platform) then you’ll know what to expect, and if you don’t you must check them out. This EP appears to serve as more of an extension to prior works than a starting point for new fans however, as without prior knowledge the tracks can kind of blend together. Closing the new track portion of the EP is Confounded By Apophenia, another blistering Brutal Death ride, which is a touch more on the Slam spectrum and less about melodic riffs and general Tech, this is kind of more my jam from the band.

Then it’s into the live set on the EP recorded at Xxxapada Na Tromba festival. I generally love live releases, and this is no exception. After a perfect scene setting intro track it’s into The Locard Principle, what a song torn from the insane Resting Place For The Wrathful album. The overall production and live sound quality is a little tin-laden but I think that adds an air of raw power to it. Regardless of if you do or don’t know the bands material there really isn’t all that much to add though and aside from it being nice to have some live material, I’d say get in on the band’s actual full lengths instead. The crowd interaction however is something that helps bring the experience to life (and will make you miss gigs even more). The set is a strong one though it must be said, Ochlocratic Prostration, Of Rutting Beasts and Drifting Herds and of course the awesome A Hundred And Twenty Days of Sodom and Promulgation Of Infected Innards from the bands unsung gem And Then There Were Three split, overall a show I’d be very happy to see.

Overall very strong as always from Twitch, but that said I would have to confess that this is an EP (much like many EPs) that is better left to existing fans. If you pick this up then sure you’ll get a well-rounded flavour for the band, and props to them for beefing up the release with a ton of live content. That said you’re better off with a full-length release from these guys for an initiation and to really get the full effect. The main thing this EP did to me though was miss gigs even more, I pictured myself Slamming around a pit whilst listening to this and for those brief moments I was transported to an uninfected world, bliss.

(8/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/twitchofthedeathnerve

https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/beset-by-false-prophets