Formed in London in 2017 and having two records out previous to their new release ‘Condemned To Suffer’, Gorebringer is a name I am not familiar with and doing my obligatory background checking to find out a bit more about the band for the exposition loaded introductory paragraph yielded that the band is a three-piece in terms of their recording line up, this album has been receiving high praise from some reviewers, and last time they were featured on this site, they received a respectable 6/10 score from our head honcho which isn’t bad considering he is a self-proclaimed grumpy bastard who dislikes fun. So, let’s see if this is a release for suffering?

Having given this album several spins before sitting down to try and organise my thoughts and make scribbles, the one thing which really stands out is how the music is a blend of the kind of death metal I like – fast, hard hitting and melodic. With the pressers claiming this is music for fans of At The Gates, Dissection and Carcass, I can see why. It’s got all the furious riffing, sinister atmosphere and melodic hooks you would associate with bands of the mid-late 90’s/early 2000’s in the Death/SweDeath/Melo-Death sound. There’s the blackened influences and atmospheres with the angular tremolo picked sinister riffs, then there’s ripping grooves which have that Gothenburg pacing, and then there’s the big hooks and melodic sounds which might as well have been ripped right off of ‘Heartwork’ in parts. It’s aggressive, its intense and it hits HARD.

Going into a bit more depth and detail, ‘Condemned To Suffer’ is 42 minutes of intensity across 8 tracks. From the dramatic and blackened opening of the first track “Under the Full Moon” to the sinister final moments of the 7+ minute closing track “Embodiment Of Aggression”, you are under a constant siege of hard-hitting death metal with plenty of atmosphere and melody. Technically sound in the performance and delivery, its packed with intense vocals, phenomenal guitar lines and relentless drums which will have blastbeat aficionados throwing shapes and furiously air blasting along in enjoyment.

As stated, the opening track “Under The Full Moon” displays its black metal influences clearly for all. The dissonance and atmospheric arrangements in the intro and later in the bridge leading to the technical and melodic lead all have that ominous and dark edge to them. The blast-driven tremolo riffing and snarl and scream vocals spearhead the assault and in all, it’s an evil sounding opener which will get the attention. The title track of the album follows up next and its straight up death metal with its raw and relentless approach. There’s some good melodic accenting dotted across the track, but it’s all about the work the vocals and the drums put in on this one, just utterly relentless.

“Infernal Symphony” reminds me of ‘Jester Race’ era In Flames with its pacing and wild edge, but at the same time also brings in some shades of Children Of Bodom with the neoclassical vibe shred leads in the middle of the track. Leading single “Ants” is probably the best track on the album to give a complete picture of Gorebringer’s sound. It has all the hallmarks of their sound and musical approach – the dramatic blackened intro with symphonic overtures, the intense and rapid verse loaded with rapid-fire riffing and the technically proficient, ripping shred solo and harmony lead guitar gymnastics. It’s a solid track and no doubt will create chaos in a live setting.

“Lady Midday” has a big groove undercurrent in its intro – the drums thunder away relentlessly before shifting to the barrage of relentless double kick. As the track progresses, it slows slightly, leading to a more atmospheric feel taking hold with more intricate arrangements taking the forefront – dissonance drones and twisting leads dance around a sharp and black metal-esque vocal assault and I guess this is where the Dissection vibes really shine. “Théâtre of the Grotesque” follows up with a pedal tone riff onslaught and leans heavily into the Gothenburg sound approach. Its heavy and intense but it is what you would expect from a musical approach like what has been taken, though the harmonised riffing at the end of the track is a great touch. “Visions Of Terror” is the penultimate track, and it continues with the melodic death metal approach, favouring pedal tone riffs, surging bursts of intensity and sharp melodic lines which slice away at you with their cutting edged delivery.

“Embodiment Of Aggression” is the longest track on the album, clocking in at just past 7 minutes in length and its probably the highlight of the album. Pulling no punches, it hits the hardest, living up to its title with how intense it is. The pounding drums pummel away relentlessly, the guitar and bass arrangements have both elements of melodic restraint and flat-out blitzing riffs, and the vocals are as vicious as ever. Buzzing riffs flood the verses, surging forth on a current of blasts, giving way to buzzing Melodeath inspired riffs which add that extra flavour to the sound and by the time 3:14 hits, a vocal grunt shifts the whole feel of the song, transitioning it into a pseudo-thrash breakdown before easing the pacing up a touch, leading to a more melodic composition which is very reminiscent of ‘Jester Race’ era In Flames before a massive, sustained vocal scream assault round 4:30 shifts it back to the high speed, high intensity approach, mixing in a ripping shred solo for good measure before the track wraps up in a similar vein to how it started.

In all, “Condemned To Suffer” is a solid, all-rounder of a death metal release. With heavy leanings to the blackened side of the genre in terms of its atmospheric work, and a big swing to the iconic late 90’s Gothenburg sound for some of its big melodic direction and compositional hooks, Gorebringer have done well to blend their influences into the sound and give an uncompromising, familiar feel yet fresh sounding approach to death metal. You can listen to it and think ‘That’s definitely Carcass!” or “Ripping off Graveland there!’, but you can see how the band have put their own stamp on these sounds and approaches to create something enjoyable.

(7.5/10 Fraggle)

https://www.facebook.com/Gorebringer

https://greatdanerecords.bandcamp.com/album/condemned-to-suffer