Review Summary: Gone Feral.
If heaviness is the currency metal trades in, aggression is the coin of hardcore. END's debut EP distills a rage barely recognizable as human into a sweaty mosh pit of noise that frankly makes even some of the most crushing breakdowns seem like the calm eye of a storm of sound. With most songs containing only the haphazard idea of true structure,
From the Unforgiving Arms of God is chaos incarnate. Brendan Murphy's vocal performance is utterly devastating, completely abandoning the discernable shouting-styled screaming that has long been a staple of his presence in Counterparts.
Where most of the material teased out from Counterparts' upcoming full-length features a calculated, meticulous approach to carnage, the six loosely tied off snippets of hell on earth that END label as songs evoke a reckless, senseless, near-animal rage. To be fair, closing track "Survived By Nothing" does slow down the frenetic cadence set by the rest of the album. Even this respite, however, is brief and ultimately futile.
Perhaps best described as a cataclysmic onslaught of noise punctuated by a guttural sodomization of language,
From the Unforgiving Arms of God exacts a steep toll upon its listeners. Tracks like Necessary Death demonstrate a complete and utter disdain for civility that gorges on all the gaps left by modern life's unceasing procession of structure and order.
Brandishing an impressive mastery over the various stylistic weapons in the hardcore arsenal,
From the Unforgiving Arms of God resoundingly smashes any doubts as to whether END's departure from the core sound of the members' main bands would work out. Short and sweet, this is a gratuitously cathartic kick to the ears.
You'll probably want to plan ahead and just set aside time to fix your soon-to-be broken furniture now.
