ALBUM REVIEW: Trials of Man – Mite
Within the emergent Danish powerviolence scene, MITE are perhaps one of the most effective bands. Since the release of their first E.P, 2020s 77 Days, the bands harsh and visceral take on hardcore has made the Odense-based four piece a musical force to be reckoned with, with their prodigious musical output in just a few short years seeing the band become ever more intense, with the bands debut album, the aptly named Relentless, showcasing them as arguably one of the best acts within the Danish underground. Now, little over a year after the release of that album, the band are back with Trials of Man. An album that manages to top the already unflinchingly fierce sound of its predecessor, pushing the bands sound firmly into powerviolence territory.
The Unforgiving Arms of Life kicks things off with a barrage of pummelling drums, abrasive guitar work and acerbic vocals, creating a muscular and ferocious sound right off the bat, veering from dense, rhythmic moments through to rabid intensity that goes straight for the jugular. There Will Be Silence doubles down on the openers blistering and jarring elements, with only a domineering, hardcore indebted second half to bring this music down to something less vitriolic, and only then by reducing the pace slightly. Rats Nest leans prominently into a classic death metal meets Punk sound that’s closer to Grindcore, with sludgy bass lines and percussive drums creating a monstrous backbone upon which searing vocals and grating hooks are imposed, proving incredibly effective.
Echochambers shifts to a weighty gallop, retaining some of the death metal influence and developing into a feral, gnarled slab of outright aggression that is thicker and less animated than earlier offerings, with the following track Consume expanding on this discordant and belligerent formula even further. Abyssus Abyssum Invocat leans harder into the music’s faster and visceral elements, with tight, chunky guitars and frenetic drumming contributing to an unhinged sound that the bellicose vocals only serves to accentuate.
This gargantuan, energetic approach is carried forward into When All Is Said And Nothing Is Done, another longer track that captures a primal edge, pairing it with a robust death metal groove. Crosses, a short sharp shock of noxious grind, is built upon meaty guitars, punchy drums and coarse vocals that lends a stripped back, rawer side to this records sound, a style that is explored further in the fleeting and unpolished Sacrificed. Eyes, a track that is driven by its thunderous drum sound, is another song where the substantial guitar sound allows the vocals to carry the music without sacrificing any aggression.
Shallow and Hollow, a song that is, by this albums standards, a mid-paced, rhythmic number, embraces a more straight forward Powerviolence style, brimming with a ferocity that showcases that even songs this “reserved” can be punishing affairs. In the Name of Progress opts for a biting tone that is informed by screeching feedback and a rumbling hooks, much like the preceding effort, but with livelier performances from the guitars and bass. Choked, with its jagged, stringent guitars and clanging bass punctuating the vicious core of the song, proves to be a brilliant piece of music that is dripping with drama, making it extremely effective.
Shadows reverts to a dizzying whirlwind of cacophonous musical components that pushes the music firmly back into the albums darker, harsher side, with excellent vocals to match, making this feel ravenous and claustrophobic. The Last Straw takes this savage and tumultuous sound and injects groove-laden death metal into the mix, meaning that even though the musicianship is less demented, it nonetheless leaves an indelible mark.
Hate as a Coping Mechanism sees the death metal/hardcore hybrid continued, with muscular guitar work and jarring flourishes making it a huge and domineering powerhouse that shows that MITE’s longer tracks are often their most diverse and catchy. Malevolence with its sharper tone and breakneck tempo, serves as another great example of how to make abrasive Powerviolence, sounding every bit as cavernous at points as it does caustic. Disdain sees the sludgy bass sound play a prominent role in the sound, beefing up this crushing track to make everything feel almost bombastic in its unwavering aggressiveness. Epitaph a full throttle, chaotic offering with a coarser punk edge, makes for a fantastic climactic effort, and again sees the songs rhythmic backdrop provide much of its depth, with the guitars taking on a menacing, crawling aspect, with bestial vocals peppering in an acerbic quality that stands in stark contrast to the tar-thick music that frames them.
Fires closes this album with a fairly slow-burning and lengthy piece of death metal, with a touch of grind to provide some adding heft to proceedings, with the vocals morphing into a throaty guttural that suits the meatier parts of the music perfectly. It’s a far cry from the much of what has shaped this album, and by far this records longest outing, but its a suitably engrossing and bleak conclusion to a record defined by its unhinged and atonal moments.
Trials of Man has, at least on surface level, a lot in common musically with Relentless; it’s a huge, punishing piece of hardcore with more that often leans towards powerviolence in its unerring intensity, but there’s certainly lots of other elements at play here, crucially the underlying death metal influence, that helps to flesh out so many of these songs, creating firmer and harder foundations upon which to build much of the rest of the record, with all it’s brief bursts of brutality and frenetic, energised performances meaning that even it’s more reserved elements are extremely robust and impactful. Between this and their debut, MITE have set themselves an impressively high bar to surpass with their future music, crafting the beginnings of a powerful legacy in little over a year that far outstrips what many bands achieve in a whole decade.
Rating: 8/10
Trials of Man was released on 13th September.
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