Pedaling a particularly vicious flavour of skin flaying extremity whilst exploring a rather forward thinking blend of state of the art progressivisms, Indianas The Burial have a refreshing command of muscular instrumentation, structural variation and finger cramping dexterity which sees 'In The Taking Of Flesh' an undeniably rich, and not a little surprising release.
Indeed, from the heaving strains and dizzying tempo shifts of 'Thou Knowest' through to 'Diakonos' and its cavernous malevolence, this exciting four piece manage to maintain a wholly unsettling ambiance, all icy foreboding and wide eyed attack, whether it be through scathing velocity (check out the caustic blast beats in opener 'En -Hakkore' and the wild fire onslaught of 'Of Jasper And Carnelian') or a more measured clout as in 'Erchomai's biting stomp.
It is as diverse as we could ask for, and what sets The Burial ultimately apart from an ever growing glut of peers is how seamlessly they are able to string together their clearly wide ranging influences into a cohesive whole. Nowhere is this more present than on the thunderous 'Theanthropos'. Heaving and grinding in equal measure, the track employs modern bounce, blackened chord stabs, deathly urgency and towering melody all within a hairs breadth, constantly flowing with a laudable flair.
With a metallic aptitude as all encompassing as any in recent memory, it would be somewhat of a travesty to see The Burial fall in with their cookie cutter contemporaries. Technical ability and song writing expertise utterly cemented, ‘In The Taking Of Flesh’ is without doubt an impressive offering, yet the hint of what could potentially be to come is what is most exciting here. Stunning stuff.
Really is a fantastic album.
