Kruelty prove with their second work Untopiathat the cross between hardcore and death metal doesn’t always have to sound like what one associates with deathcore.
And what also makes the brutal swathe of wild mosh attacks, primitive elbow technique and hard windmill kicks wonderfully heavy and fat through the pit, is, to mention it at the beginning, almost everything that the snare can do from St. Anger wanted.
But these two insights are served almost incidentally, primarily there is almost blunt force on the cap. After a short, spiritual-ambient intro, the riffs and massive rhythms hurl between concrete grooves and rapid descents and many “Ugh!”s, the structurally outlaw, rollercoaster-like songwriting meanders into a juggernaut that has its best moments when it’s the obtrusive Roaring is shaded with additional despairing nagging, hissing screams – and thus provides for striking scenes in a MO that otherwise knows little variance.
Unknown Nightmare only indulges in a hook on his last meters and Harder Than Before is primarily aesthetically memorable as a competition of rushing speed and wide-legged beatdown wrecking ball. Even the great reef of Burn the System with its galloping, galloping punk spirit, is accompanied by the ironing attitude of Untopia practically seamlessly assimilated.
This means that the standard Reincarnation then make certain signs of fatigue recognizable – Kruelty seem three years behind A Dying Truth not to bring anything new to the table (even if you are between close relatives such as, for example, Xibalba, Sanguisugabogg, No Zodiac, Volcano or natural Terminal Nation with extremely tasty served) the constant beatings have a numbing effect at this point of the record.
A circumstance, because the five Japanese register themselves, and don’t just give the following Maze of Suffering a short intro, but also throw the neck breakers (with an increased Death-Doomy edge) by the necessary little bit more compellingly. Manufactured Insanity then treats himself to tight, fabulously manic shades, which after a fine twist finale in the abruptly stalled U-turn only unload with the shoegazend-epic beginning of the title track, before the strong closer also lets the strings howl with their legs apart and last but not least, theatrical, imploring gestures.
More such stand-out phases (or a little tightened focus that would have made some meandering paths more effective), and the band’s muscular misanthropy would not only be very good: constantly lets Untopia finally convey the impression that we are dealing with a potent spearhead combo that has not yet brought its qualities to the point in the final analysis, but for which the outstanding button could open at any second.
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