The seventh studio long-player from the venerable, Polish extreme metal troupe,
Anticult delivers a lethal mix of blastbeats and brawny riffage that finds the sweet decaying spot between melody and destruction. Dialing back on the unrelenting death metal ferocity of past efforts, the eight track, just under 40-minute set leans harder on the groove/breakdown-laden
Pantera side of the metal spectrum, but retains enough thrash-induced brutality to please longtime fans. Opener "Impulse" creeps in on a wave of doomy, djent-splattered atmospherics before getting down to business, releasing a neck-snapping barrage of incisive upper cuts and left-field haymakers. The punishing "Deathvaluation," "Kill the Cult," "One-Eyed Nation," and "Anger Line" follow suit before yielding the killing floor to
Anticult's most divisive offering "Earth Scar." Billed as the album's lead single, it's a melody-rich (by death metal standards) rush of adrenaline that's as radio-ready as it is tenacious, and it shows the band's willingness to expand their sound without sacrificing anything in the way of ferocity -- it's a bit of an outlier, but it feels convincing enough to suggest that future outings might be headed in this direction. That said, the majority of the LP treads familiar ground, and it does so with the skill and savagery of a band that cares little for the impermanence of public opinion. ~ James Christopher Monger