Asia is a real hive of Extreme Metal activity, and more precisely Slam, Brutal Death and Goregrind. From Butcher ABC to Vomit Remnants, Glossectomy and beyond Asia has become a prime spot for this kind of barbarity. Why? Well of that I’m unsure but I’m certainly not complaining as many of the aforementioned artists have helped shape the scene as we know it today and become essential cornerstones for the evolution of Metal’s most deranged sub-genres.
One such band whom are yet to be mentioned but carry an equal amount of kudos and praise are Japan’s Gorevent. Formed in 2004 the band went on to release the classic 2008 full length Abnormal Exaggeration as well as the equally amazing Worship Paganism in 2010. The bands output has been consistent and today we speak of the bands 2020 album Fate which sees the band take to a more major label in Comatose Music. It is the bands fifth full length but will it prove to seal their own fate for better or for worse?
Opening track Confront is full of bulldozer, Slam influenced riffs that drag in sluggish rapture, as well as ultra-guttural vocals that keep the band in tune with traditional Brutal Death ethics and ensure a purist outlook on the current scene. Justice proves to be another hammer wielding battering that is sure to please Slam purists and proves that the band are full of old school flare and respect. Going through into Energies there is very little in the way of change, but given the strong production and overall tone I don’t feel that any new ground need be trodden.
Indeed this is an album that is Brutal Death Metal and nothing more, if you like big Slams, filthy riffs, guttural vocals and extremity then this is the album for you. The title track comes across with similar vigour and whilst there is little difference between tracks it works in a similar way to that of Devourment’s Obscene Majesty album. A barrage of non-stop crushing might that is drenched in bile and grime. Finally the album closes with Day To Head another similar slab that rounds the short album off rather nicely, if that’s the right choice of word.
So if you’re expecting gang vocals, grills and humorous Slam troupes then you can forget it. This album is from a band who have no time to mess about, a band who just like writing Slam the way it should be. I enjoy all the comic approaches the genre of course and indeed I embrace them openly, but you can’t beat the bands that take the art of Brutal Death so seriously. These are the people that care about the longevity and success of the genre as a whole. If you want a good start to a year of Death Metal then this is a great place to begin.
(8/10 George Caley)
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