Brotality "The Woods Will End You"

This album came out today. 

Listening through it this morning I'm more encouraged than I was by the pre-release tracks. Nosedive was amazing but I wasn't sure about the other two singles. Everything sounds much better in context. The album is an allegorical concept album about the trials of this life (the woods/wilderness) and overcoming through Christ (the light, the Sun, the Great Renewer). It flows well as a singular whole.

Musically, these young men have increased their skill at every point. The musicianship has notably better still than before. They constantly impress. Bryce's guitar work has notably risen up not only in ability but tasteful diversity. The three instrumental interludes demonstrate his melodic influences and his subtleties in his style. The instrumentals are actually really remarkable, being neither extraneous nor breaking the flow. I always like his Chuck Schuldiner-styled death growls. He sounds like Chuck did on the early Death records; forceful, clear, but with the gnarly aggression intact. Vocally Reece still has a young voice but there is more maturity on display and increased diversity in his delivery. He'll sound better in the future. It sounds like Liam their former drummer recorded for this album and does a masterful job weaving through the intricate arrangements. He is/was an incredible talent. I'm sure future albums will sound much different and less nuanced without him.

In terms of songs their love for modern metal, especially Mastodon, is more apparent but it doesn't sound "modern." They remain consistently melodic and the sharp, distinctly metal guitar tone and wonderful guitar solos keep it from devolving into a typical muddy modern mold or being too overbearing and trying to our heavy the heavy. The majority of the songs are 5 minutes and up with an 11 minute epic, The Moon Below, toward the end. The tracks are meant to flow into each other to match the concept of a journey. The album is focused more on groove overall like truly much of the last album was. Nosedive is the only thrash song. They don't have anything technically complex like Legion Falls or Dirtnap on this album. Yet, the middle of Skull Rot (perhaps the best track here) displays technical proficiency like few bands at their age ever could. Everything is weaved in this time. The one surprising element is in the mix their ability to mix in a lot of lighter melodic vocals throughout the album. Especially as the album reaches toward its more hopeful conclusion, that softer melodic touch gives the band an even more unique sound that bends toward a more worshipful sphere. It's interesting and welcome. Glow, despite its breaks into a few death growls and technical flourishes, could find its way onto a Dream Theater as one of their more accessible tracks. I say that as a compliment.

Stand out tracks: Nosedive, Skull Rot, Glow, The Moon Below

Personally, just listening through twice, this album is definitely a more cohesive whole. Every element from Worldwide Desolation remains but it comes together across every song. I'm looking forward to a lot more time spent with this album. Finishing where I started, I'm really encouraged by this. I was worried the album would be somehow be more modern and djenty (not a word just like that's not really a genre). It's not. It is quite similar to the last only progressing forward, and for me, as a better whole.

Thanks for the review!  Sounds exciting!

I love the music but the vocals are almost emoish at times and it bugs me. More deaths vox and this would be great.

Black Rider wrote:I love the music but the vocals are almost emoish at times and it bugs me. More deaths vox and this would be great.

Emoish I don't hear but I'll agree that Reece's vocals are lightweight across the board. I keep thinking of it like James' vocals on Kill-em All. I definitely like James' performance much better (he had a youthful venom and a familiar character to his voice that has made him who he is) but his voice sounded young and higher pitched than later. James had two years on Reece. As a result I'm expecting Reece to get better. 

All that said, for me he neither ruins the album nor does he notably lift the album. I think he's solid.

Bryce on the other hand, like you said, I'd love to hear a lot more of. Love his vocals!

Finally listening to this. It’s GOOD. Worldwide Desolation was a good album, but I think this is better. The vocals are at worst serviceable, and the music shreds.

I just want to be clear here, as I have seen this said elsewhere still, that this is not a thrash album, nor are they a thrash band. Listening to these tracks in context, through the full album, even Nosedive doesn't sound as thrashy.

I know a lot of times when a label gets used on a band it remains attached for years to come. It just doesn't really apply here. Worldwide Desolation really only had a few tracks that went that way. This has less. Though I'd love it if they were some new young thrash band, the diversity and the unique take they have as young metal fans makes this more interesting. Considering their personal musical tastes I'm actually greatly encouraged that they play metal with death metal vocals. They could go a hundred ways in the future and metal is only one of them.

Just thought I'd leave that here in case anyone was going in with that mindset. The three singles really do give you an overall view of what to expect but there's even more beyond those.

Yeah, I'm not really expecting thrash with this band.

Any news from these guys? I really like both Worldwide Desolation and The Woods Will End You and would love some more tunes.

Pethead wrote:Any news from these guys? I really like both Worldwide Desolation and The Woods Will End You and would love some more tunes.

Yes.  They have a new single or album coming out this Fri called "Black Abandon."

Also found this cool story from last Nov:

https://bravewords.com/news/nick-menza-fifth-soundtrack-teaser-released-for-late-megadeth-drummer-s-this-was-my-life-documentary?fbclid=IwAR3kvwtECX5hUu67hyVUciM3osLw4Xyn4iBYnNziP5L2ex5eT3cgvBPZrco

strangerhoncho wrote:

Pethead wrote:Any news from these guys? I really like both Worldwide Desolation and The Woods Will End You and would love some more tunes.

Yes.  They have a new single or album coming out this Fri called "Black Abandon."

Excellent! Thanks!

strangerhoncho wrote:Also found this cool story from last Nov:

https://bravewords.com/news/nick-menza-fifth-soundtrack-teaser-released-for-late-megadeth-drummer-s-this-was-my-life-documentary?fbclid=IwAR3kvwtECX5hUu67hyVUciM3osLw4Xyn4iBYnNziP5L2ex5eT3cgvBPZrco

That's super cool.

I've noticed people saying they aren't thrash. I disagree. Imo they are djent/prog influenced thrash. Also the guy up there ^ that said djent isn't a word or genre, HAHAHA. A. It doesn't get autocorrected. B. Djent is 100% a genre. It split off from Swedish death metal and added prog elements and 8-string guitars. I don't understand why y'all don't like djent, it's awesome. Meshuggah is one of the heaviest bands ever.