Review Summary: Spite Cult, Motherf*cker
Spite is a band that has existed around the Instagram realm and r/deathcore pages for a while, yet I never cared much about them. Their EP was cool, caught peoples attention for a while, but it became background noise once the falsetto screams and tritone chords faded to black. Then came
Nothing is Beautiful. This cacophony of unbridled rage, pure malice, crippling self-hate, and the word "f*ck" is the most refreshing thing to hit the deathcore genre in the last five years, even with its downsides and shortcomings in mind.
This album, while still utilizing gut-wrenching screams and breakdowns centered around binary code found on previous work, finds Spite incorporating many more...interesting elements into their work. Melody is much more present on this LP, songs like "Drown Me" and "Thy Bidding" showcase these melodies that have been sent through the reverb pedal to hell and back, faded just under the rhythm sections, but still omnipresent. Furthermore, riffs have been pushed to the forefront, while the "0-1-2-1-0" breakdowns have been used as a seasoning. "AWOL", "Kill or be Killed", and "Kingdom of Guts" allow Cody Fuentes and Alex Tehrani to display this on full effect, writing lightning fast riffs that pair well with the chug-a-chug breakdowns. However, this is where the drop off begins, as some tracks (I'm glaring at you, "Despise") have rather boring guitar work. And while it may be a "callback" to Spite's earlier days, that's just what we're trying to avoid, as it's very clear that Spite has grown between these releases.
But I digress. The true gem of this album is Darius Tehrani's vocal work. From the schizophrenic screeches found at the end of "Self-Destruct" to the gurgling lows found on "IED" (and yes, the barks on "Kill or Be Killed"), Tehrani's vocal performance on this album screams (no pun intended) passion and a love for his craft. But this is yet again where the album falls short. While the lyrics are beyond angsty, violent, and have enough swear words for a Joey Diaz stand-up special, all of these factors together don't always work together for the most heartfelt lyrical content. When lines like "Shove it up your f*cking cunt" and "Eat sh*t" get repeated four to five times over, this brushes the witty, crafted lyrics under the rug.
The production of this record is also extremely high quality, especially for a debut LP. Crisp, clean guitars and bass would rattle the sub-woofers of any stereo setup, Tehrani's vocals could be heard on D-Day, and the drums expand the sonic field of this LP and sound enormous all around. As a musician myself, I appreciate this, and this album proves you don't need millions of dollars to create a great sounding album.
Nothing is Beautiful proves that in a world where nothing is beautiful, there is only hate. This is an album embodies hatred, chaos, and despair, and does a damn good job, even accepting all of its faults and shortcomings. Great work from the Golden State bad boys.
Spite Cult, motherf*cker.
