ALBUM REVIEW: Methods of Human Disposal – Gravesend

Extreme metal, by its very nature, intends to push the boundaries. Be it aurally, lyrically or thematically, bands within the brackets of metal’s most volatile sub-genres are explosive, uncomfortable and, often, a stark reflection of the ugly reality of life. For every idealistic city, every utopia of modern metropolitan hustle and bustle, there lies the dark underbelly. The squalor, the dirt, the death, the blighting problems that plague society. GRAVESEND encapsulate both the viciousness of extreme music and the foul stench of their home of New York City to bring forth a debut of savagery; Methods of Human Disposal.

With the longest song on the record weighing in at just 20 seconds shy of three minutes (the visceral and hulking mid-tempo driven Trinity Burning), what GRAVESEND offer across Methods of Human Disposal is short and snappy blasts of putrid hate dispersed with ambient passages of industrial electronics offering brief moments of respite before being thrown into the carnage once more.

The one two punch of End of The Line and Subterranean Solitude boasts cacophonous blastbeats, razor-sharp bursts of grind-driven riffs whilst Unclaimed Remains‘ snappy tempo change from an almost sludge foundation to a blistering barrage of metallic fury shows that GRAVESEND have a few tricks up their collective sleeves, rather than just falling into the trap of being too one dimensional.

In fact, its pretty remarkable just how versatile GRAVESEND are in their delivery of aural brutality. This is not just blastbeat after blastbeat, instead, the band allows their more digestible riffing to be easily heard in the mix, allowing for a more solid connection with the listener. Ashen Pile For The Incinerated is a prime example of this with some of the best riffs on the record, End of the Line channels the band’s clear adoration for war metal bands like REVENGE and BESTIAL WARLUST and Scum Breeds Scum‘s hench grooves intertwine superbly with the cacophonous beat.

That said, for all that the band get so right, there are but a few moments where the record falters and GRAVESEND‘s putrid punches don’t connect as hard as they do elsewhere. Ambient interlude Eye For An Eye runs for slightly longer than it probably should and starts navigating into aimless territory whilst a double instrumental opener in the form of the electronic Fear City and the metallic STH-10 is a questionable move. In the context of the album as one body of work, its not too much of an issue but it would be more far more beneficial to the band if their misery was unleashed at the very first opportunity.

As a whole, Methods of Human Disposal really benefits from the short run times of the 15 songs that comprise it. With each individual track concluding as quick as they erupt, flow across the entire the record is key to success and GRAVESEND achieve that in spades. The way in which Needle Park‘s almost d-beat riffing paves way for the cataclysmic Absolute Filth is incredibly slick and demonstrates that this record needs to be digested in one full sitting, however challenging for the uninitiated that may be.

Methods of Human Disposal is not an easy listen but GRAVESEND never intended it to be. Whilst more mainstream fans of heavy music may be alienated by the filth and aural hammering, for those well versed with metal’s extreme underbelly, there’s a lot to like here. Yes, there are areas that can tweaked and refined to ensure maximum connection next time round, but make no mistake, GRAVESEND have delivered a debut that stands toe to toe with the most visceral and extreme bands in the scene.

Rating: 8/10

Methods Of Human Disposal is set for release on February 19th via 20 Buck Spin. 

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