Review Summary: You Wear It Well When You’re Wearing Hell
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house...
Every creature was stirring because Frontierer was making their ears bleed profusely. Scottish/US mathcore group Frontierer have released their new stocking stuffer EP, The Skull Burned, three years after their critically acclaimed album, Oxidized. Over the span of four tracks/twelve minutes, you run the gauntlet of punishment in the various forms of sonic assault Frontierer unleashes.
Leadoff track The Skull Burned frys your synapses with its massive buzzsaw riffs that channel someone punting an incensed beehive. The muddier, noisier production and grind structure harken back to songwriter Pedram Valiani’s previous project, Sectioned. Wearing Hell sounds like it was constructed using field recordings from potential World War 3 weaponry. Seizure-inducing riffs open the song while vocalist Chad Kapper bludgeons his way in and out of the choppy maze of jagged riffs that Valiani lays down. Despite this carnage, there is an undeniably catchy groove to the addictive chorus. The back half of the EP adds an element of eeriness with Life Vest’s discombobulating, tormented riffs and erratic tempo. The ghostly ambient section amongst the caveman riffs in The Night Wept work surprisingly well together to form a strong closer.
This EP may prove to be the band’s most lethal release yet, with its combination of pure ferocity and dynamics.The riffs are a little more serrated, the production more unfriendly, the vocals more unpredictable. If the previous Frontierer releases had the bite of a rabid dog, this has the bite of a Chernobyl-mutated super wolf. Valiani’s clever writing with Kapper’s commanding vocals make this EP a force to be reckoned with. Frontierer has once again achieved a brutally fun collection of replayable tunes, this time with extra malice, urgency, and innovation.
