Contrarian - Polemic - Download (2015)

Labels: Willowtip
Review by: Alex Deller

Snarling, guttural death metal that’s as honed as you’d expect from a band who (a) feature members of Nile and Mithras and (b) have the brass neck to close their debut album with a Death cover. The band seem to know that there’s zero doubt as to their technical proficiency, keeping things tightly reined and none too showy as they blast and lunge their way through the album’s eight tracks. Each song is built around clearly-carved riffs that’re possessed of chasmic depth, and when one of their three guitarists does go off on a flashy tangent it’s always exactly right for the song and done in the best possible taste. If there’s one nit to pick it’s that the band could perhaps do with bursting free of this self-imposed restraint once in a while and really going hog wild, but for now this is a pretty eminent full-length to be starting with.