ALBUM REVIEW: redistribution of flesh. – Rank and Vile

With a name like RANK AND VILE, you can hardly expect anything light-hearted from this band. redistribution of flesh. is as cold, aggressive and ferocious music can get, with their deathgrind sound giving genre leads like CATTLE DECAPITATION and ABORTED a run for their money.

Kicking off with Apotheosis, the album gets the strong start it needs. Some spoken word and a slow, doomy riff takes us into the first guttural growl of the release, underpinning the already bass-heavy track with even more force. Cabal Therapy is well meaning in its chunky, stabbed introductory chords, but something about the production takes the edge off of what could be a brilliant track. The guitars are crushed into oblivion, with the crisp high end reduced into a blurry mess of distortion; this gives it a sonic quality more consistent with black metal.

Omb is built on a funky riff, giving the album its strongest track so far and allowing the band to show off their unique take on death-grind. The track also sees the return of spoken word, making surprisingly eloquent political statements for such a heavy band. The title track has been available on streaming sites for a while now, and has allowed the band to show what they’re capable of. The riff heavy textures and shifts between brutal speed and down-tempo heaviness give off hints towards progressive writing.

Grey Goo is another track built on a killer bassline, perfectly positioned to bring a subtle funkiness back to the release after the non-stop brutality of redistribution of flesh.. The vocal talent of Theo Spence shines, with his harsh voice remaining consistent throughout and satisfyingly adapting to chord changes rather than sticking to one note. Killdozer is another brilliantly unique track, with time signature and tempo changes turning this one into a bit of a challenge for even the most experienced headbanger. Again, its messy production lets it down, making some exciting rhythmic interest fall slightly flat.

Having withheld from really showing off their technical abilities, Global Scaphism begins with a demonstration of drummer James Cox’s speed and precision. He gives out some stunningly fast blast beats with not so much as a fumble. Spence’s voice moves into a higher register, and the influence from bands like ENTOMBED and GATECREEPER come through clearly. While there doesn’t seem to have been much thought put into the specific order of tracks, this one flows directly into the albums final number via a crushing chord.

The band describe this release as “8 politically charged, occult inspired, and chainsaw guitar-driven tracks that cross genre boundaries throughout extreme metal”. It’s like The Grigori was written to perfectly capture that sentence in audio form. With doom laden riffs kicking it off, moments of black metal madness sneaking their way in throughout and a visceral, demented grindcore outro closing the album.

For a debut release, RANK AND VILE are clearly ready to prove themselves in a competitive genre. Armed with unique influences and their own take on their style, they’re certainly able to. While a lot of work needs to go into the production, their songwriting consistency avoidance of unnecessary technicality shows they’re able to produce a well written and concise album that doesn’t ramble in its attempt to get to the point.

Rating: 8/10

redistribution of flesh. is set for release October 18th via self release. 

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