ALBUM REVIEW: Drag Me Down – Cabal

Throughout the years the likes of KING DIAMOND and VOLBEAT have led the charge in Denmark’s metal scene. Hoping to add their name to the list of their countries most revered metal acts is Copenhagen’s CABAL. Having already made waves with their 2018 Mark Of Rot release they are hoping to build on this with their eagerly awaited follow up entitled Drag Me Down which is due for release on April 3rd via Long Branch Records. Will this release have what it takes to propel them into the spotlight?

Tenuous, building intros are so 2019. Gift Givers goes straight for the jugular from the starting grids. You are instantly submerged in a torrent of ferocity which has no consideration for your ear drums. Buckle up! Drag Me Down continues the bludgeoning with a combination of thumping drum beats, boisterous riffs and scathing screams. Frontman Andreas Bjulver Paarup summons his inner demon and joins forces with an abrasive barrage from POLARIS‘ Jamie Hails. Black metal tinges creep in to It Haunts Me to add an additional dimension to the unnerving tapestry. Kim Song Sternkopf from Danish compatriots MØL enhances their star studded guest appearances with further bursts of skin searing aggression.

Tongues refuses to let the carnage subside as jabbing riffs chip away at your skull. Intense blastbeats supplement the bleak, distressing landscape. Sjælebrand ups the ante with spine chilling atmospherics linking up seamlessly with the instrumental hammer blows. Choirs of screams are introduced which are enough to make your blood curdle. The Hangman’s Song commences with a slow, chugging rhythm before injecting some enticing pace into proceedings. This track is guaranteed to send live crowds into a frenzy. The syncopated riff assault mows down all that dare to oppose it.

Death March possesses a galloping, bouncy flow whilst still maintaining the darkness that has cascaded throughout it’s predecessors. Raspy screams and guttural growls fight for prominence. Ominous synths usher in following track Bitter Friend and it’s unrelenting brute force. The icing on the cake is the addition of TRIVIUM’s Matt Heafy and his instantly recognisable vocal stylings which slot effortlessly into the hefty beatdown.

Unbound witnesses a return of the buoyant tempo with crushing riffs and inviting gloom-ridden layers which neatly tees up curtain closer Demagogue. This track has zero intention of gracefully bowing out with a gentle whimper. A powerful surge of black metal infused devastation rises forth from the depths and leave nothing but dust in it’s wake.

It takes a lot of skill to be this heavy and ensure that you maintain the listeners grasp for a full album without becoming too much of a one trick pony. CABAL have you in the palm of their hand from the first instance and still leave you begging for more once they are through with you. By the time Drag Me Down draws to a close it possesses the energy of an unstoppable juggernaut. The Danish outfit are still a relatively young collective and with a statement of intent as impressive as this there is no limit to what they can achieve.

Rating: 9/10

Drag Me Down is set for release on April 3rd via Long Branch Records.

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