ALBUM REVIEW: In Dark Places – Brutality Will Prevail
Music is a wonderfully versatile thing as we are all aware. With sounds that some might not think working together actually creating a whole new landscape to be explored. Some elements go hand in hand however, and BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL are the perfect example of such a marriage, as they’ve built a career off combining the slow trudge of doom with the in-your-face aggressiveness of hardcore to tremendous effect. Returning to the fray with In Dark Places, the Welsh outfit are keen to drag you out of the sunlight and pummel you to dust in the darkest of, well, places.
The opening minutes of the record are ominous. With the classic hardcore bassline rumbling underneath sustained chords, the first track Serpents soon morphs into in a pit stirring combination of steadfast drums and thunderous guitars. BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL have managed to create such an oppressive sound that will ebb and flow between classic tropes of both doom and hardcore so effortlessly it in turn makes the album flow smooth as you like. Perpetual Lows picks the pace back up and will indefinitely get your head banging as the band simply ride along the main riff of the song, a tactic that gives In Dark Places a monstrous frame from which it has no shame with throwing its weight around.
Penitence shows BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL‘s ear for atmosphere, as the unsettling ambience of the opening before the full weight of the brilliantly mixed assault comes crashing down. The song is eerie and sits comfortably as one of the gems of the whole album. As the chaotic final moments come to a climax, Nybbas begins and is a surefire highlight. The instrumental track is a calming respite and shows the bands diversity of sound really well. Being one of two tracks that stray away from the standard blueprint, with Into The Gloom being an interesting departure from the thunderous riffs. Whilst the track isn’t necessarily bad it is one of the weaker tracks on the album with the vocals being lost in the mix. It’s the following and final track Elegy that fairs much better, being a song that combines the slower and more deliberate sounds with more energy in order to send the album off in a way that is most definitely pleasantly surprising.
BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL have crafted a strong career by releasing consistently brilliant records and becoming one of the staples of the UK hardcore scene by not only being crushingly heavy but also diverse enough to stand far apart from the rest of the pack. In Dark Places not only cements the notion that they are one of the most oppressively weighty bands around but that they also have no fear when treading outside the box, even if the results are slightly past the mark. Rounding off with a track like Elegy that shows another marriage of sounds that don’t necessarily match together, with strong clean tones and stronger riffs. It’s just yet another confidently awesome release from a brilliant band.
Rating: 8/10
In Dark Places is out now via Holy Roar Records
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