ALBUM REVIEW: Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis – Beaten To Death
Even within a genre that is as impressively broad and experimental as grindcore, Norwegian quintet BEATEN TO DEATH have carved out an incredibly powerful and progressive style for themselves over the course of their previous five studio albums. Drawing upon industrial and alternative rock as well as the expected blend of death metal and hardcore for their foundational influences, the band’s music captures the visceral intensity of grindcore whilst tying it to a much more atmospheric and punchy approach than the vast majority of bands within the genre even begin to attempt. Their latest, sixth album, Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis, further cements their already lofty status as one of grindcore’s most inventive acts, covering more ground musically in 18 minutes than some do over 18 releases.
Dalbane kicks things off with a short sharp shock of meaty, rabid grindcore with chunky guitars, frenetic vocals and chaotic drums creating an imposing wall of noise right off the bat, pushing the listener straight into a harsh and abrasive sound that immediately grabs the attention. My Hair Will Be Long Until Death follows in the same death metal/powerviolence-informed style, proving to be, if anything, even more visceral and grimy than its predecessor, with only the vocals and some cleaner guitar flourishes cutting through the near impenetrable murk. Enkel Resa Till Limfabriken leans into a much more groove-laden and thunderous sound, with the significantly slower pace and denser guitar and bass sound lending this a weighty and monolithic edge, with only a few brief bursts of brutality breaking up this more measured and subtly epic affair.
Minus Och Minus Blir Minus Och Minus takes the lighter, alt-rock-inspired touches that informed the second track and explores them in greater depth. That isn’t to say that this is without its utterly cacophonous moments, but it delves into a far cleaner approach than earlier offerings, adding an interesting dimension to the band’s ferocious template. Mosh For Mika (Waddle Waddle), compared to the four tracks that preceded it, is a fairly minimalist effort, with less animated guitar work allowing the more experimental elements within the band’s sound, notably the softer style of the previous track and a spacey brand of distortion, to make for something that is still rooted with extremity, but completely distinct from everything else.
Dying The Dream, with its driving drums and rumbling bass hooks, is built upon muscular rhythms, with the animalistic vocal barks being countered by chanted clean passages and gnarly, noxious riffs that cut through the mix and provide a monstrous backbone around which everything else is interwoven, once again pushing the band’s varied and imaginative sound into new territories and exploring strange but effective musical combos. Life… But How To Leave It? is energetic, feral grindcore with some great jarring licks and punishing percussive fills, with the caustic snarl of the vocals adding an acidic quality to this much fiercer track, creating a contrast that works extremely well.
We’re Not Gonna Make It is far and away one of this album’s most full throttle and belligerent pieces of music; it dives headlong into a blend of death metal and grindcore, with industrial dirges and anthemic, almost poppy sections peppered liberally throughout, showing that even at their most bellicose, this band are able to insert some inventive progression into their sound. Ormer Til Tarmer, Måne På Hodet closes proceedings with a song that, perhaps more so than any other track, balances the light and dark sides of the band’s sound, with dancing, melodic leads vying with domineering intensity for attention, bringing this album to its conclusion on a noisy and eclectic note.
Like many of the band’s albums, Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis is an album that is rooted within grindcore but not wholly defined by it. The industrial touches and elements of alt-rock add to the unpredictability of the music, making certain sections more accessible without sacrificing any of the underlying ferocity that drives the band’s sound. Although there are quite a few bands within grindcore that are much more adventurous and eclectic with their music, it’s hard to think of more than a few who have created a style so varied and imaginative for themselves as that which BEATEN TO DEATH have established not just here, but on their preceding five albums, and with albums this caustic and creative, they’re easily one of the most impressive grind acts out there at the moment.
Rating: 9/10
Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis is out now via Mas Kina Recordings.
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