ALBUM REVIEW: Born Into Chaos – Yatra
Maryland trio YATRA have been on an absolute tear since forming in 2017, having released three full-length records since 2019 (two of which came out in 2020). Their brand of doom sludge has been met with great praise and fanfare, and has landed them on bills with the likes of CONAN, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT and FULL OF HELL. So you’d be forgiven for thinking that their fourth outing, Born Into Chaos will see business resume as usual. Instead, they have taken a detour into blackened death metal, inspired by the genre’s first wave of horror-tinged brutality, and lyrically themed around the uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic.
As it turns out, this is very much where the band’s roots lie so it’s something of a natural evolution for vocalist and guitarist Dana Helmuth, bassist Maria Geisbert and drummer Sean Lafferty. Ditching the fuzz and slow songs, they have opted for a sonic barrage of fast and furious favourites; utilising the stomp of punk and the fervour of thrash, combined with the Swedish death metal vocal style that has been ever present, it has all come together on Born Into Chaos to create something that feels classic but never samey.
Launching straight into the ripping Death Cantation, YATRA waste no time in laying down the gauntlet and a superb taster of everything to come. The pummelling drums and immediate riffage makes their plans and intentions clear – to lay waste to everything in their path. Helmuth‘s vocal delivery is as impressive as it is devastating, especially on the stormingly heavy breakdown chorus. Wrath Of The Warmaster dials the old-school factor to the max, managing to sound like a cult classic genre origins cut and distinctly underground, which speaks volumes of the phenomenal mixing job that’s been done by Noel Mueller (MYOPIC, FOEHAMMER). Combining a whole host of elements and inspiration, it’s a true representation of what makes YATRA the band they are in 2022.
Terminate By The Sword is a beast of two halves. On the one hand, it possesses perhaps the slowest, sludgiest opening on the record, but soon stacks up the death metal characteristics and provides a snarling, vicious chorus with the other hand. It’s a headbangers’ banquet that sets out to snap necks all across the metal landscape. The sense of danger is inescapable and permeates through every second of the track, leaving an indelible mark on all who hear it.
As doom sludge merchants up until now, it should come as no surprise that YATRA know their way around a riff or two. Born Into Chaos is comprised of incredibly meaty, and shockingly groovy riffs; able to switch from making you want to move to making you want to bludgeon the world, they are deftly woven together in such a balanced way that this goes beyond being meat and potatoes death metal. Omens Of Fire stands out as having one of the most irresistible riffs we’ve been treated to so far this year. Laying an incredible foundation for the sonic assault that rains down on you, such a groove-rich guitar line may seem at odds with the genre on paper, but it works so well here and elevates the track to being a highlight on the record.
In a year of much-hyped and widely-loved death metal releases, YATRA‘s Born Into Chaos stands to usurp them all. What is ostensibly a brutal slab of death metal unfurls into a complex, multi-faceted outlet of extreme metal that brutalises and delights in equal measure.
Rating: 9/10
Born Into Chaos is set for release on June 10th via Prosthetic Records.
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