END - From The Unforgiving Arms Of God

A lot of metal bands get tarnished with the same brush. Generally, that brush tends to be held by people that don't really indulge in the genre. "It's just noise" is a popular one. "All the lyrics are all negative and stuff". "It's all just angry". People that live and breathe metal know that although all those statements are technically true, a lot of bands prove them wrong. A lot of hardcore music is positive and is about picking yourself up and striving for more. A HUGE portion of the genre writes about genuinely relatable issues such as loss, grief, heartbreak, separation, abandonment and so many more. Some bands even push further than that and follow concepts like space, travel, the ocean and consciousness to name a few. It's probably becoming more and more common to stray away from those "old fashioned" stereotypes. But, every now and again, a band crops up that is noisy. That does write lyrics about negative things and sounds like the pure embodiment of anger. END are one of those bands. A super group of sorts, consisting of musicians that either are a part of or have been a part of Counterparts, Fit For An Autopsy, Misery Signals, Reign Supreme and Structures, they have exploded into the ears of metalheads everywhere. Their debut EP has been creating a lot of buzz, and it's quite clear why. It's loud. And it's good.

Opener "Chewing Glass" throws you in at the deep end. The first riff is a heavy headbang approved belter, chugging along and creeping towards a completely unexpected thrashy hardcore onslaught. The breakdown in this song is intense too, slowing from the break neck speed of the previous section to allow those meaty chugs to resonate in your ears. After less than 3 minutes, it launches into "Usurper", hurtling forwards in an unrelenting rage, the vocals snarling and tearing their way through the riffs to ensure their anger is portrayed. Again, the breakdown in this track stands out, and begins at a pace I wasn't expecting, which for me made headbanging irresistible. Lead single "Love Let Me Die" is the shortest song on the record, but it doesn't need to be long. It says everything it needs to say in 1 minute and 42 seconds. Full of feedback and stabs that reminded me of Converge, the entire song is punishment from beginning to end. No hints of light or colour, the tone overall is completely dark and menacing, leaving you almost gasping for air as the feedback rings out at the tracks close. Halfway through the record, the one thing I can predict about these songs is they will create a lot of carnage when performed live. Without a doubt.

Title track "From The Unforgiving Arms Of God" follows the same formula as the previous 3 tracks, thrusting another concoction of heavy riffage, changes of pace and sheer menace through the speakers. I see this track as being their set closer, as the breakdown at the end is pure evil. The thick slices of tone almost get behind you and push you towards a pit. Unless there isn't a pit. In that case, those arms are pushing you to start one. "Necessary Death" is the slowest song on the record, which made a nice change and gives you a chance to regain your bearings and recover from the preceding aural carnage. It doesn't give you too much chance though. Despite the slowing of the pace, it does not hold back any punches. The slowest track, sure, but probably also the heaviest. An absolute sludge-fest, oozing with meaty chugs and giant drums whilst vocally attacking you and making sure your guard isn't completely down. Finally, EP closer "Survived By Nothing" is the perfect round up. Featuring elements of every track on the record, combining them all together into an ever evolving whirlwind of hatred. This track is the first to feature a clean tone (I know right, literally the last thing I expected to hear), but the section that follows it is an almost black metal tinged dirge, sounding both evil and epic. The final chord bellows out, slowly fades into feedback, and then silence. It's over. The whole thing was over too quickly, but it is only an EP after all. I was amazed to learn that the vocalist was Brendan Murphy of Counterparts, as I'm a huge fan of the band and didn't recognise his vocals at all. He almost sounds possessed. My only real gripe with this record is that some of the guitar work gets lost and is a tad on the muddy side, but I think that's kind of the point. It's meant to be raw, it's meant to be unpolished. It's meant to be that way because it adds to their aesthetic. They aren't clean cut, they aren't perfect, they're aggressive and unrelenting and they don't care what I think about the tone. They want to punish my ears. And they do that very, very well.

The EP clocks in at around the 17 minute mark, but flippin' 'eck, what a hectic 17 minutes. 6 songs of complete aural chaos. An all out sonic assault with a very clear message - They're here, and they aren't going to go away quietly. The Misery Signals and Counterparts influence is very audible, with some of the riffing and phrasing sounding similar. But don't get me wrong, this is a whole other beast entirely. This is one of the nastiest, dirtiest, angriest collection of songs I've heard in a while. It's almost impossible to listen to this record and not want to smash everything within reach. I don't hate my computer, I love it and do a lot of work on it, but when I listen to this record I'm seconds away from putting my fist through it. I mean it wouldn't happen because I'm not very strong, I would 100% just hurt my hand and regret my decision, but I'd try. If anger had a human form and made a record, this would be that record.

D.S

x