Review Summary: Riffs of isolation
There’s something about this Covid-19 hell that makes death metal sound that much better. Over the last several weeks, I can’t get enough of the stuff – even dabbling in brutal death metal and its other whacky subgenres. It’s been the summer of death metal, and my unstoppable binge was largely inspired by the excellent sophomore LP from Faceless Burial. This band has it all: the killer name, the beastly vocalist, the perfect balance of pummeling riffs and slick melodies. The Australian act are on their way to becoming death metal titans. Just a few years into their career,
Speciation is oozing with the kind of confidence and skill of some of the genres most influential musicians.
Building upon the promise from 2017’s
Grotesque Miscreation and two solid EP’s,
Speciation stands out immediately with its beefier song structures. The title track and the album’s massive bookends show off Faceless Burial’s knack for keeping things interesting even throughout longer cuts. “Worship” is just as quick to lay down highly melodic riffs as it is to surround you with the time-tested suffocating drum and cavernous growl combo. The first track that really hooked me, however, was “Irreparably Corpsed.” Arguably the most “metal” track of the bunch, it’s a tangled web of clunky guitar riffs and ridiculously fast drumming. The relentless zigzag of the guitars conjures up imagery of twisted formations; I can’t help but think of the creatures from the original Silent Hill video games crawling towards me with every anxious riff. Even without my nerd-brain imagery, it’s a track that tramples the listener with an impressive, almost demented force.
There’s really not much else I can write to sell
Speciation. You’ll either appreciate the level of energy Faceless Burial bring to the table or write them off as just another OSDM worship act – maybe somewhere in between. Originality may not be their selling point, but boy is the execution and passion on par with the best. With ridiculously fun and urgent tracks like “Spuming Catarrhal Gruel”,
Speciation has just the right level of technicality to it; it has
just the right guitar tones. Meticulously crafted from front to back, Faceless Burial’s sophomore effort is a smart throwback to the glory days of death metal. These guys are just cool as hell, quite frankly. Hopefully,
Speciation will take a bit of the sting out of your isolation nightmare like it did for me.
