ALBUM REVIEW: Concrete Winds – Nerve Butcherer

CONCRETE WINDS return from the abyss with their 2nd album of Black-Death Metal chaos. Set for release via Sepulchral Voice Records on November 26th.

A bestial roar introduces us to a merciless storm of true extremity with a blinding instrumental array the force-feeds witnesses to a gritty and violent brand of punishing Metal in the archaic vein. Rampant riffs spew sepulchral dirt upon the unrelenting tempest of furious drum frenzy while the screeching and howling vocals only add more frenetic energy to the ungodly formula. Solos, well of course those are more abuse of the whammy bar and a fast successions of piercings notes than compositions per se, which fits the pure animalistic carnage of Concrete Winds like a spiked gauntlet. Those unfamiliar with this superb act will be greeted with totally hostile and old school Black-Death Metal that sits uncomfortably (yet gloriously) amongst the most violent purveyors of the genre.

The manner in which “Nerve Butcherer” follows from their “Primitive Force” debut LP is like they never left. The potent aggressive music has retained all of its underground charm without sacrificing an iota of what the band held in regard such as their daunting sound, scornful aesthetic or unpolished yet quality production. Those cascades of descending notes reign hellfire upon the bestial rhythmic charge of crushing riffs and monolithic drum beating, all of which it is easy to ascertain must be played extremely hard to convey the power of the songwriting. Thought frantic, there are often militant grooves that march with a certain discipline before the wolven awakening becomes feral once more.

One interesting note is that out of the bands 19 released songs, 18 have 2 word titles (the exception being “White Cut Manifest” from the previous album). This concise and linguistically to-the-point way of titling songs gives them a rather intimidating look, especially when coupled with the vocabulary of violence used (“Astomatous Vomiting” for example). This may seem like a strange tangent but it is pertinent to conveying the unwelcoming and intense world of Concrete Winds. Similarly the artwork on both albums is striking, frightening and yet intriguing. This is a band who will draw those away from the heard for butchering, sacrificing the meek to their rite of soul-flaying Extreme Metal. This is a band who sonically, aesthetically and spiritually align to create a whole. That whole is once again a truly excellent one.

This is a tome of bone-splintering mayhem for true extremist hordes, not some cheap mockery of the old ways. Concrete Winds have unleashed their 2nd and equally magnificent opus of sadistic soundscapes and while its mass appeal shall be low, those worthy will revel in the splendour of the slaughter.