Having caught this bunch of crazy technical deathsters earlier this year and play a great set of breakneck technical metal I was pleased to hear the new material after catching a couple of tracks that were played at said gig.
The bands previous effort was a bruising encounter and this begins in familiar style with a hyper speed bass kick and snare blast and an inhuman vocal bark on “Demoralizer”. The sudden changes in pace are a trademark with The Red Chord and this album certainly keeps you on your toes with insane blasting and sudden lulls in speed. “Hour Of Rats” is akin to Hate Eternal sonic carnage with chopping stop-start riffs that blend intensity with harmony equally. At times the band reins in the technical ferocity making this is a little lighter on the ears yet equally adept to anything previous. “Embarrassment Legacy” has a far more traditional death metal structure yet is still jam packed with riffs as these guys show no let up on “Tales Of Martyrs And Disappearing Acts” as the songs are short on length yet long on violence. The odd slamming riff is injected into many of the songs making the album sound less frenetic and chaotic than previously.
However don’t be fooled by this as “Ingest The Ash” is relentless technical savagery that shows its teeth willingly and is unafraid to take a chunk off you if you’re paying enough attention. That hint of slam rears its head more as a beatdown on “One Robot To Another” but is brutally effective in a way that Suffocation was on their early albums. I enjoyed “Mouthful Of Precious Stones” with its chug start and sporadic hyper blasts that blend sublimely with lead work. Mike McKenzie is an absolute guitar demon at times as the riffs and leads hit you wave after wave with little abating. As with many modern extreme metal albums The Red Chord end the album with a much slower track that has tons of atmosphere and a powerful ambience. Suffice to say, I found this less engaging than the previous album but this is by no means a slouch as The Red Chord pummel you into oblivion then suddenly back off only to come back and pummel you again.
http://www.theredchord.com
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