Slam, let’s talk about it. Or, perhaps in this case, Deathcore with a capital D? But I wouldn’t want to use such a notorious tag for an album I feel steers itself quite clean from many of that genre’s trappings. Yes, this album finds its primary orbit around breakdowns and mosh parts, but the more modern kind, reminiscent to bands such as Dying Fetus and Code Orange rather than the monotone proto-djent breakdowns of yesteryear. But then there are parts, like the opening riff to “Signs Of Suffering,” which bring me back to memories of being 17 and hearing Suicide Silence for the first time and thinking it was the HARDEST SHIT EVER!
Look, I know there’s a metal contingent out there who going to automatically oppose any band that embraces slams and beatdowns the way Crucial Rip does; this album actually out fight-riffs the new Jesus Piece LP by a significant margin. But hear me out: DEATH METAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT SLAMS AND HEAVY PARTS. Every new school “old-school death metal band” nowadays sound like a Xibalba ripoff and those guys just totally aped their sound from early Bolt Thrower records. Every early ’90s Suffocation song has at least four breakdowns and even Slayer’s Reign In Blood is littered with passages meant solely to induce moshing and crowd violence. The same could be said for Napalm Death’s Scum and even Don’t Break the Oath.
OK, might have gone far with that last one but still, mosh parts have always been a thing, and what makes it really work here is the band embracing the absolute ridiculousness of what they are doing rather than try to run away from it with a pretense of seriousness. My favorite mosh call on the album is in the middle of “Unacknowledged” when the vocalist just screams “DICK CHENEY MADE MONEY OFF THE IRAQ WAR!”, a statement that is both hilariously placed and true at the same time. It perfectly sums up this album: intrinsically goofy while simultaneously being heavy as fuck. Make sure you have your mouthguard in and are aware of your surroundings at all times:
