Music has been getting dirtier and dirtier over the past decade and I have absolutely no complaints about this progression in aesthetics. The first track on this album is probably the least confident, yet most metal song out of all of them, with its slow, foreboding, crunchy and dirge-like riffs.
Immolate, however, reveal their punk colors on the subsequent tracks and never look back and thank God, because the first song is the limpest one. Tracks like “Live By (Knife and Gun)” and “Kill Your Idols” are post-apocalyptic anthems. I’m certain both tracks and the rest of the album would fit perfectly under the film Mad Max. This fuzz-covered punk rock outfit really know how to fight for attention through their dense, wall of sound style that commands attention from the first note onward.
Like a knife fight that battles its way out of the bar and into the streets, this is a dangerously aggressive album only for the most resolute of punk warriors. Nearly flawless in what it does because of how simple their approach to music is. The only thing that holds this album back from being perfect is the first track; it’s not as confidently executed as the rest of the album. Other than that this is a visceral and well-done affair, worthy of any hard rock collection.
In A Word: Vicious
