Moving further and further into the future Hardcore itself as a genre is largely somewhat of a psseé subject. Having the classic Biohazard’s, Terror’s and Agnostic Front‘s is all well and good but there can only be a finite amount of music being put out. Not to mention the genre is a fairly simple affair leading to many of the band’s albums sounding samey. Enter the year of 2015 where it seems that Hardcore is getting a serious rethink, among the likes of Twitching Tongues another leader to drag Hardcore kicking and screaming through the broken glass of Metal is Culture Killer.
[tracklist]
1. Blindfolded Death
2. Path of Refelction
3. Exterminate Filth
4. Cloaked In Deceit
5. Throes
6. Justice Through Retaliation
7. (Sub) Stance
8. Flesh Empire
9. Hellbent
10. Inhuman Nature
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]Enter album length here[/length]
[record_label]Metal Blade Records[/record_label]
[release_date]November 27th 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
Releasing their Metal Blade debut, the band bring together the finer points of genres. “Cloaked In Deceit” would sit perfectly in 2005’s heyday of Metalcore complete with dive bombs and breakdowns. Whilst “Path of Reflection” is no mucking about straight up two step that would give Terror a run for their money but it’s the mid sections of the songs that so often bring the band into a more Old School Death Metal territory. Hardly something that is usually in the same breath as the knuckle heads of Hardcore material. Each song is given its own identity with slower moodier tracks like “Flesh Empire” beginning with twin guitars that merge into another driving beat complete with the all important ride hits.
Opting for a lower tuning than usual also gives the band the air of grit temporarily swaying towards the side of Metal, however once the boot stomping breakdowns kick in its unmistakeable where the band’s influences lie. The bounce of “Justice Through Retribution” conjures up a pit of ferocity that would see the stage spewing out its divers as the song progresses it’s influence of Death Metal shine through making for it be one of the heavier tracks on the album. What sets Culture Killer apart from the bland Hardcore crowd however is the song writing aesthetic.
Vocals ranging from a more banshee like snarl to the Van Drunen worshipping guttural give the record a sense of balance. Traditionally as a genre Hardcore has always been a more of a participating listen often making for albums to be slightly lacking in engagement but when the band kick “Hellbent” into gear showcases that the energy isn’t lost on the record. There are some sections that include the unfortunate hallmark that is grinding to a complete halt slowing the track to a snails pace, completely demolishing any sense of pace which isn’t a personal favourite but despite that overall the record works well.
Having plateaued for long enough, it seems that bands are beginning to bring a new identity to the scene. Combining the rough around the edges attitudes of Death Metal come grindcore with the song writing prowess that makes for a Hardcore delivery Culture Killer have released a record oozing with identity. Confident in their delivery the band take no prisoners with Throes of Mankind making for a foul, decaying breath of fresh air.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]With Throes of Mankind Culture Killer breathe life into the stale corpse of a genre that is almost devoid of originality. Combinding elements from all things extreme the band deliver a satisfying statement that will get your head banging.[/why]
