ALBUM REVIEW: A Hill To Die Upon – Mental Cruelty
German death metal quintet MENTAL CRUELTY have quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting bands to watch out for in the underground of extreme metal. Having only been on the scene for five years, the band have achieved impressive milestones, from releasing two critically acclaimed albums to touring with bands such as RINGS OF SATURN, NEKROGOBLIN and SIGNS OF THE SWARM. Now the band set to take on their next challenge with third full-length effort, A Hill To Die Upon.
One of the key things to note about the album is that it distances itself slightly from its predecessor, Inferis. Slam and deathcore still heavily influence the sound, but there’s more maturity in what the band have composed this time round. The constant brutality of squeals and breakdowns are scaled back and replaced with black metal-esque atmospheric riffs and vocals. Instead of it being something that is consistent in delivering gut punch after gut punch, this refined blend adds heaviness in a different manner.
Abadon, King ov Fire and Ultima Hypocrita are shining examples of how this is highlighted. There’s a sense of dark devilment, where everything that is going on feels like a chaotic nightmare that you can’t escape. The orchestral mini-build up into a stellar vocal performance from Lucas Schmerler in Abadon especially creates an atmosphere that is almost enticing, as though you’re willingly being pulled into darkness.
This ability to have weighty atmospheres is something that continues throughout the album and showcases the bands move forward in being able to develop their own style. There’s a clear indication that whilst with two successful previous albums, they’re aware they’re not going to settle for sitting on material that will just glide them through their career, they’re about working for their uphill journey in the metal world.
This push for improvement is reflected when you hear the smooth flow in switching between melancholic melodies and harmonies into vicious shrieks and pounding blast beats. Closing track The Left Hand Path is probably the finest portrayal of how MENTAL CRUELTY have been able to find the balance that has missed the mark with their previous releases. Aforementioned, it’s refined and it shows the growth of the band.
There are times where the album seems a little repetitive, some of the songs bleed into each other, only by a margin but there’s nothing that really makes each and every one have its own punch. Musically it is still a massive leap in the right direction, and sometimes the repetitive nature is easy to fall into when it comes to death metal, so it isn’t too damning, but it is a slight misfortune when you note the effort that has gone into this album.
A Hill To Die Upon is by far the most refined release of MENTAL CRUELTY‘s career. They have gone from making a name with their debut, to now showing that they are ready to be an established band within the death metal scene across the globe. The album has its flaws, but the admirable thing here is the progression and growth of the band, it goes beyond how the overall sound is. This is an album that raises the game and defines why this German death metal band are one of the most exciting young bands in the genre right now.
Rating: 8/10
A Hill To Die Upon is set for release May 28th via Unique Leader Records.
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