ALBUM REVIEW: Charred Field Of Slaughter – Bear Mace
Sophomore albums can often be difficult territory for bands who have released solid debuts. The burgeoning fan base expect not only an expansion on what they already know, but also something that remains true to its roots. This can often present something of a stumbling block for fledgling artists. BEAR MACE however, are not deterred by little things like the expectations of others. On their new release Charred Field Of Slaughter, much like their namesake, they have come to blind, disorientate and terrify…
The mammoth opener, Destroyed By Bears, Is nothing short of a fierce statement of intent. Enormous mid-paced riffing accompanied by shrieking, swirling guitar work gives way to bludgeoning thrash segments and cavernous vocals that will delight fans of Finland’s HOODED MENACE. This is an immediate highlight and sets the bar for what is to follow. What is also swiftly apparent is the disparity in the production values from their debut effort BUTCHERING THE COLOSSUS. The difference is worlds apart and this record simply sounds massive by comparison.
The album’s overall flow feels almost split into halves, the first being dedicated to the sludgy, mid-paced material. Rogue Weapon, for example being a clearly BOLT THROWER influenced slab of titanic riffs and muscular bass tone. Well-intentioned fast passages laced throughout unfortunately never quite push over into the full-blown blasting insanity hinted at by the album’s opener. This does result in parts of the album’s middle section feeling somewhat unremarkable.
That is of course, until the complete savagery of Plague Storm. By the time the album’s sixth track rolls around, the sluggish pace of the album has become taxing. This ripper flies directly out of left field and delivers a gut punch of pure speed and intensity to the mix. The tempo is much further ahead of what we have seen and provides a welcome break from the festering mire of sludgy riffs exhibited so far.
Having snapped the listener awake, the brute force shredding refuses to let up. What follows is From The Sky Rains Hell, which in a similar vein to the opening track, ties both ends of the band’s tempo spectrum together. It also includes melodic segments (reminiscent of Chuck Schuldiner’s work in DEATH) which enhance the deep and guttural nature of the music while simultaneously adding a layer of intrigue. Something that can be difficult to achieve in the back half of such a pummelling record but is exhibited very tastefully here.
It seems that this would have been a perfect outro number, but still a track remains. Brain Rot is not a bad song by any means, but its appearance feels jarring and detracting from what almost felt like musical bookends framing the album using similar techniques. It would have benefited from being placed in the middle of the album, as its inclusion at the end unfortunately make it feel like an afterthought.
When it comes to mid-paced tight death metal, there is currently a BOLT THROWER shaped hole in the world and BEAR MACE could very well be the sorely needed band to fill it. That is not to say that this album is hollow mimicry of their influences, it is instead both a progression of and a love letter to death metal of days gone by. They do not reinvent the wheel on this album, but they do provide an updated take on a well-trodden formula which should warm the rotten heart of any true fan of the genre.
Rating: 7/10
Charred Field of Slaughter is out now via self-release.
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