CATTLE DECAPITATION
Death Atlas METAL BLADE
San Diego marauders grind against the endtimes
IN CASE YOU HADN’T noticed, the planet is fucked. Mass man-made extinction and a climate catastrophe that will irrevocably change human civilisation are things Cattle Decapitation have been warning about for years. But while the harrowing newscasts that break up the cacophony on Death Atlas remind us of the same peril, the mood of album eight has changed from a dire warning to one of tragic resignation – an acceptance of the inevitable and the imminent consequences of a universe looking to restore the balance.
The musical outlook has also continued to change, fusing their ferocious grinding death metal with a melting pot of extremity and Travis Ryan’s vocals that shift from gruff growls, piercing shrieks and the and , the San Diego quintet now seamlessly unite the molten mass in one tight, epic and devastating swing of the reaper’s scythe. It perfectly does its job on the likes of and the taut , hurtling from furious technicality and bludgeoning to chilling harmonies and those frankly horrible vocals.
