2023-05-10 07:00:20
(c) Nick Van Vidler
Standing still is certainly not the thing of Cattle Decapitation. With “Death Atlas” at the end of 2019, a successful further development of the common Deathgrind sound was achieved, which has since become even more intricate and complex. If said record was primarily dedicated to darkness, the successor should explore the horror of daylight. „Terrasite“ dares more than ever into the madness of being and at the same time tries a lot more musically – with tangible success.
“Scourge Of The Offspring”, for example, shows how far the quintet has come in the meantime. The extended gallop can only be found in a roundregarding way and still radiates familiar danger with a good deal of brutality in the finish. The four and a half minutes undergo multiple twists and leaps of thought until something of a main body emerges with clear yet garbled vocals – like an answer to Borknagar, only completely different. The Californians thrive on this ethereal contradiction, only to serve up something akin to groove followingwards.
“A Photic Doom”, which sounds more traditional and foreign at the same time, is also strong. Cattle Decapitation feel like they fill up with umpteen ideas and still find something like structure, which finally unloads a hellish façade with slavering hopelessness. Only “Just Another Body” stands above it and actually manages to offer something like action over the entire ten minutes. The second half, in particular, brings in perhaps the most catchy moments in the work so far, soft as butter and progressive as the antithesis to technical crowbars. If that’s too nice, tracks like “The Insignificants” and “We Eat Our Young” straighten things out, albeit with interesting details.
Logical further development with an exclamation mark: Cattle Decapitation have been opening up their sound for quite some time, but it has seldom been as clear as it is here. A certain unpredictability belongs to this band, but it is precisely the clear fanfares and Prog Death influences that lift “Terrasite” to another level. The predecessor had already skilfully indicated this by adding a second guitarist. Of course, friends of extreme sounds are a bit offended, but this evolution is fun – a chunk of chaos with structure and constant striving for growth and madness, which might also represent a turning point for the band’s future.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 05/12/2023
Available through: Metal Blade (Sony Music)
Website: www.cattledecapitation.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cattledecapitation
Category: Magazin, Reviews
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