It may have been a horrendous year, without any live gigs in over eight months (Napalm Death was my last incidentally), but one positive as such, is the high quality of recorded output; the pandemic obviously getting many a creative juice flowing.  This new EP from Liverpool grindcore merchants Corrupt Moral Altar is no exception; inspired by the pandemic and the situation society currently finds itself.  I had the good fortune of stumbling across CMA when they supported All Pigs Must Die at the Boston Music Room, London, in April 2017.  Like many, I was there to see the headliners, but found myself (un)pleasantly surprised by the support act’s uncompromising ferocious aural assault.  In a state of battered euphoria I headed to the merch stand to eye up their fine line in offensive t-shirts, and suitably inebriated I took the plunge…  In the cold light of day I realised my purchase could potentially never be worn outside the house, so remained my dirty secret.

CMA don’t take themselves too seriously; opening with the gloriously titled ‘Cathedral of Porn’ which features a relatively groovy and dare I say catchy guitar riff, which is subsequently levelled by an avalanche of blast beats.   It’s essentially a large swift kick in the swollen knackers; you can imagine guitarist John Cooke’s other band, Napalm Death (them again), lacing up the boots.  ‘You Smell Expensive’ wafts in on a colossal crunching guitar riff, before the tempo shifts schizophrenically between slow grind and insanely fast in the blink of an eye.  Gradually everything starts to spiral out of control; it’s chaotic and disorientating, battering the senses, leaving the listener dazed and confused, but loving every minute of it.  It’s worth noting the impressively diverse vocals from Chris Reese, not only on this track but throughout.  Here he replaces his punky bark in favour of a death metal style demonic, bowel loosening growl that plumbs the depths of the most squalid sewer.

CMA aren’t your average grindcore band, intriguingly they don’t stick to the tried and tested formula; instead mixing all manner of intense styles together to push the envelope in one of metal’s most extreme scenes.  ‘Maximum Bastardry’ lives up to its title; it’s fast and thrashy with spiky hardcore punk vocals, but nothing prepares for the humongous breakdown that wreaks havoc half way through.  The speed, insanity and heaviness displayed are on par with that created by contemporaries such as WVRM and Wormrot.  ‘Spirit Breaker’ is surprising; having the audacity to feature a mellow intro, which is so far removed from what is expected, it’s rather wonderful.  It lulls the listener into a false sense of security until waves of noise, dissonant guitars and frenzied drums interject; maniacal banging of heads ensues.  It ends as bewilderingly as it began with glimmers of light shining amidst the feculent darkness, with, whisper it quietly, hints of melody and harmonious vocals (seriously).

Patiently Waiting for Wonderful Things is exactly what the metal world needs right now, an unapologetically heavy five track EP that hurtles by far too quickly, leaving the listener bloodied and bruised in its wake, but pining for more.  CMA don’t fall into the trap of rigidly sticking to grindcore; previous album Eunoia hinted that there was something more going on beneath the surface, particularly on the track ‘Five Years’, but here they’ve evolved further, fully realising their true potential.  The continued experimentation; dabbling with melody while amalgamating many genres such as thrash, punk, death and sludge combined with a wry sense of humour, not only keeps it fresh and exciting but elevates the band to a new level.  Patiently Waiting for Wonderful Things is a glorious glimpse of what’s to come from CMA and a treat for their followers, while for the uninitiated it’s time to bow down at this filthiest of altars and join the congregation.

(9/10 James Jackson)

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