ALBUM REVIEW: Stare Into The Seething Wounds – Extortionist
Grunge flavoured metalcore anyone? Marrying the brooding angst of ALICE IN CHAINS with the raw pummelling of WHITECHAPEL, the new EXTORTIONIST full-length is an interesting listening experience. The band don’t sound like the finished product yet, and Stare Into The Seething Wounds does give off a work-in-progress vibe, but when it hits, it leaves a lasting impression. This is metalcore that is happy to exist alongside the nu-metal-tinged bands like TALLAH and LOATHE, but wants to try doing things a little differently, thank you.
It’s also arrived hot on the heels of last year’s Devoid Of Love & Light. That album was a minor hit, and it would be understandable if they’d wanted to rush out a follow-up to capitalise on the momentum. Stare Into The Seething Wounds isn’t a hastily-assembled cash-in though, it’s better than its predecessor. EXTORTIONIST have grown in a remarkably short space of time, and this is their best work to date. It’s macho as hell and as shouty as Jamie Jasta watching his kids play a football game, but it’s got a distinctive vibe that helps them stand out.
Case in point; Starve is awesome. It’s a big, bruising, bone-headed pit-igniter. For just shy of four minutes, it swaggers and bellows with testosterone-addled fury, but then it’s followed by Submit To Skin and the mood shifts dramatically. Here, EXTORTIONIST ease into a darkly melodic slice of nu-grunge, punctuated by hardcore barks and thundering breakdowns. It’s atmospheric and eerie, then Cycle Of Sin arrives and they effortlessly switch back to gravel throated violence.
Theoretically, these three songs should not work together, but they do. The band go from crowd-pleasing mosh mayhem to an ominous drug trip in the space of a few minutes, then somehow switch back again. It’s not the only time they manage it either. Detriment is unchecked aggression that’s tailor made for spin kicks and stage dives, but it’s followed by the blissed-out meandering of Low Roads. The transition between styles could be jarring, but EXTORTIONIST make it seem natural. Hell, the closing track even has a Them Bones reference in it.
Before we get too excited though, it’s worth noting that Stare Into The Seething Wounds isn’t a game changing moment that redefines the future of metalcore. EXTORTIONIST are still committed to a life of big chuggy riffs and stomping carnage. Their take on the genre isn’t a massive stylistic deviation from the norm, but it is noticeably different enough to raise an eyebrow and make you want to pay close attention to their future.
It is marginally too long, and they’re shy of a serious hook or two, but EXTORTIONIST have upped their game. They feel like they’re slowly developing into a killer metal band, and it is a joy to watch them grow. Stare Into The Seething Wounds is a solidly entertaining record, and even if it leaves you with the sense that the best is yet to come, it pisses all over the so-called ‘octanecore’ movement or whatever its called. And the singer has the best “arf arf” this side of KNOCKED LOOSE.
Rating: 7/10
Stare Into The Seething Wounds is out now via Unique Leader Records.
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