UK metal quartet Jackals Backbone have been building up to their first full length release since their formation in 2016. Cutting their teeth with a series of singles and EP’s, one of which was a live recording, the band have honed their sound and taken a gritty, no bullshit approach to their music. Thrash, Death and groove all play big parts in their sound along with nods to the more traditional metal standards which in turn results in “Red Mist Descending”. Headed up by bassist and vocalist Beccatron, the dual guitar/drum/bass formula is a solid base to build on and if you were expecting something like In This Moment or Butcher Babies, you’d be extremely wrong. With hints of early Nervosa to their sound, this is more like Cripper, High Fighter and the aforementioned pioneering Brazilian modern thrash band. So, let’s get to it!

“Release The Kraken” opens up with a formidable tribal style drumbeat and meaty low end rumbling chug. With a shout of “Go”, it kicks off with a huge groove which has a great tempo for head banging along to. The harshly snarled vocals are spat out quickly, matching up with the chord shifts before the slower, melodic chorus which is countered by the formidable vocal snarling. It’s a good contrasting set up and it works well as the song progresses, highlighting the blend of thrash and death metal grooves. The solo is simple in structure and delivery but the melody in it rides the murky rumblings beneath, once again providing a good contrasting sound and approach, leading into the key change section to wrap up the track and opening the release up with a good foundation.

“Evade The Throes” is a faster paced number which rides a surging thrash-death groove. Hard hitting percussively, it pounds away, shifting speeds subtly with little fills and turn rounds before the chorus kicks in. The dual vocal approach of clean and growl call and response over a thunderous groove is a great trick and it is one which surfaces several times across the release, giving it a memorable hook and adding a signature to the band’s sound. “Lifetakers” opens up with a clean guitar lick and whispered vocals which are duplicated with heavy distortion as it kicks in. Again, the surging groove driving the track forwards helps with the momentum of the release so far and the intro lick which is transformed into the main riff and one of the main melodic foundations of the track helps give it an air of familiarity. The sharp delivery of the vocals combined with the big musical groove helps the track charge forwards and you can imagine this to be great in a live setting.

“Blackout” has the classic heavy metal vibe in its intro. The atmospheric melodic lead and sustained rhythm guitars work well, giving the track a good foundation like in previous tracks. It forms one of the core motifs of the composition. It’s a simple but highly effective compositional approach and the clean/growl vocal interplay returns once more. This helps create the sense of familiarity within the release despite being four tracks in and the hook-laden solo works well to keep your attention. Overall, it is a solid track from start to finish and the straight forward approach is paying off well. “Dead Prey” is more of a lumbering beast of a track. Pounding away with massive, thick distorted chords and pummelling drums, the Sepultura influences here are extremely noticeable. Even as it speeds up, you get shades of ‘Chaos AD’ in how this juggernaut stomps forwards. A real heavy hitting number which is aided by some real venomous snarling vocal work.

“Interlude” is a short drum solo track which breaks the release up and to be honest, it’s a bit of a wasted spot. It would have been more suited to being in an actual track than there as a placeholder. “Blinding Reality” which follows on from this has a filthy southern metal style groove. The sleazy vibes roll off the main riff in thick, sludgy waves akin to Crowbar and PIST and you cannot help but want to head bang along to the utter filth on offer! It’s a great way to really open up the second half of the album! “Desolate Embers” is a bit of a departure from the expected sound of the release. With its melancholic atmosphere, the clean guitars and clean vocals shift to their rawer form as walls of growls and distortion kick in, adding some weight to the track before a more metalcore friendly mid-section packs the track out into a slick solo spot combined with powerful growling vocals. It’s what could loosely be described as ‘the emotional track’ and honestly, it’s great! Like a quick jab to catch you off guard it lands with a sting and opens you up for the final two tracks.

“Hand That Feeds Hypocrisy” is a fast-paced thrash attack with the punk edge reminiscent of the earlier days. The raw and wilder edge to the sound in combination with the faster pace gives it a real energetic vibe and vocally, it keeps up with the pace in an unrelenting delivery which flows well despite how raw and scathing it sounds. The venomous edge is kept throughout the entire track and the heavier ending sets things up well for the titular track “Red Mist Descending” which comes in straight away with crashing cymbals and a real thick and heavy modern thrash riff. The pounding nature suddenly gives way to speed once more as it picks up the pace with deep growls and frantic rhythmic assaults before the chorus where the clean and growling interplay comes in again. The groove is solid throughout as it shifts through the gears and ultimately the track ends with a wild solo to climax, capping off a very solid debut album!

In all, Jackals Backbone have got a solid album here. It is a good blend of modern thrash, a nod to older thrash, groove and death metal. The vocals are solid and the compositions, whilst straight forward are extremely effective, proving you don’t need complicated and intricate galloping riffs to write modern thrash, you just need a good rhythm section, some attitude and charisma in your sound and a great delivery, all of which you can find on “Red Mist Descending”. Keep an eye on these folks, they’ll be ones to watch in the future.

(7/10 Fraggle)

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https://jackalsbackbone.bandcamp.com/album/red-mist-descending-2