Gutter Instinct - Age Of The Fanatics review
Band: | Gutter Instinct |
Album: | Age Of The Fanatics |
Style: | Blackened death metal |
Release date: | May 2016 |
01. Leper Beholder
02. Age Of The Fanatics
03. Bloodstorms
04. No Place For The Cross
05. Bridge Of Broken Bones
06. An Ending In Fire
07. Death Cult
08. Counter-Culture
09. Faith Junkies
10. Exile
It may come as a surprise, but the south of Sweden is not swamped with metal like Gothenburg or Stockholm are. Sure, we have a good few acts but the scene is mostly filled with crust and hardcore punk (which I love) but also a shit-ton of non-threatening bad cop/good cop vocals over endless and tedious djenty breakdowns (you know the kind)? So with no exaggeration, I must say I'm extremely pleased to see another extreme metal band hailing from my region.
Last year's The Insurrection EP proved Gutter Instinct already had the proper sonic weapons at their disposal but they were used far differently. What they brought to the table at the time was a mix of death metal with grind undertones. It bled frustration and hatred towards the corporate world and its flawed politics instead of the more common occultist themes. While the aggression was not lost from their previous output, their hatred transformed into sheer cynicism and the nihilistic black metal influences took over. Now Gutter Instinct is a five-headed unit of blackened death metal, carrying the chainsaw sound of Swedish death metal mixed with the cavernous atmosphere of bands like Teitanblood and Grave Miasma.
Bearing in mind that Age Of The Fanatics is the band's debut, one must applaud the impeccable performance and production which gives homage to the old school. Their songwriting is tight and of the no-bullshit kind. The addictive riffage pummels through the album along with alarming leads. These mesmerizing melodies accompanied by the writhing dissonant riffs evoke a sense of impending doom. This is particularly true when Gutter Instinct decides to slow things down, thus producing a heavier wall of sound.
All in all, Gutter Instinct present us with a full package where the fiery entity is larger than the sum of its parts. Fans of hellish blackened death metal, treat yourselves with this chaotic debut properly represented by the artwork of the great Dávid Glomba.
Welcome to the age of the fanatics!
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 9 |
Songwriting: | 8 |
Originality: | 7 |
Production: | 8 |
| Written on 31.05.2016 by A lazy reviewer but he is so cute you'd forgive him for it. |
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