This album was originally self-released in 2020 in digital format before a subsequent release in physical format, i.e. cassette, a couple of times later that same year by two different labels before being picked by the US based label for a limited 100 copy CD run to be released mid-August. This is a short album, just clocking the 20 minute barrier via ten tracks, with the duo of Mike and Tom Maher comprising the band, both doing vocals with the latter doing guitar, bass and drum programming. There is a very simple and hard hitting message to this album and that is one of animal rights, every track is centred on the avenue of global animal exploitation. The tracks cover everything you would expect when addressing the exploitation, torture and murder of animals for profit, fur farms, dairy industry, meat, animal experimentation and many other exploitative animal industries.
As you can probably glean from my opening paragraph I am in the camp with Mass Extinction, as the vitriol of their music matches the subject matter of their lyrics as the opening sample sets the scene perfectly for the detonating sonic warfare that follows on the title track. You can touch base with a raft of grind and crust acts such as Insect Warfare, Dropdead, Disrupt, Disgust (UK or Japan), Cyness, I could go on but I’m sure you get the idea. This is a tornado of an album but tempered with excellent melody especially the bass work on ‘Violent Acts Of Liberation’ which unleashes excellent blast beat effects. The album isn’t loaded with the blast beats that your typical grindcore album tends to be, instead the duo drops them in for maximum devastation as on ‘Confined’ as the mix of vocal styles adds to the albums variety hugely.
I did like ‘(A)stain // (A)bolish’, that precedes ‘Confined’, due to its use of a sort of voiceover style adding to the terror inflicted; it made me think of an old radio broadcast of impending doom as the speed changes run amok in amongst the songs riff changes. There is little finesse to this album, it is battering from start to finish and none more so than ‘Victimized’ or the insane ‘Smashing Systems Of Oppression’. ‘Doomed Species’ rams itself down your throat with a fine gnarly riff as the chainsaw like sound leads into a cool riff break where the speed increases and the vocals rip shreds from the guys throats.
The closer is a tad slower offering a series of quotes surrounding what we as humans are doing to animals and our planet and let’s face it, we as humans would be considered as parasites because we are effectively destroying the very thing that is keeping us alive and in so doing are eradicating the beautiful creatures we live alongside. The song is a slow, soul destroying, earth shattering testimony set against raw guttural noises that are uncomfortable to listen to and so they should be. There is nothing else to say!
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
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