Within deepest, darkest Buckinghamshire, in the mighty English town of Milton Keynes, something has awoken. For six years the warning signs have been there. Dark, viscous rumblings emanating from rehearsal rooms, recording studios and the most blackened corners of the internet. In 2017 there was the Venomous Tongues EP. The following year there was second EP Scalps (Hibernacula). And then, silence.

With the band almost defeated by Covid, Casket Feeder returned after the pandemic stronger than ever, a resurrection celebrated by an appearance on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air in 2021. Now the five piece are back with their first full-length studio album, Servants of Violence (Self-Released).

Using the subject of cults as an overarching theme, the carnage begins with the doomy, melodic strains of ‘To The Hounds Go The Faithful’, a suitably vicious opener which, like pretty much all of the tracks on display here, straddles the line between incendiary hardcore and Scandinavian influenced death metal. There’s no time for respite as the band plough onwards with the bludgeoning savagery of ‘Mask of Sorrow’ and first single ‘Vulture Culture’, the latter boasting a clear Slayer influence, and razor sharp riffs courtesy of the guitar duo of Connor Cazalet-Smith and Aaron McKenzie.

The mournful intro to ‘Tyranny Begins’ threatens to quieten things down a little but all hell quickly breaks loose again with a pummelling, doomy groove while second single ‘Doomsday Prophecy’ crushes everything before it like early Entombed, the band exploring more melodic territory but losing none of their aggression. ‘Wading Through the Dead and Deceased’ is another destructive shock wave of riffs and speed, gravel-throated vocalist Matt Downes roaring and screaming like a man possessed.

Although infused with strains of melancholic guitar, the title track still makes its point with a bloodstained sledgehammer before ‘Sentenced to Death’ crawls and lurches menacingly out of the shadows, its low end hammer-ons recalling the oozing filth of Cannibal Corpse. The rhythm section of drummer Graham Wallace and bassist Lewis Butler beat you unceremoniously around the face and teeth with ‘Manifested Ignorance’ before the monstrous ‘Edge of Collapse’ closes the record on a darkly melodic note, using everything from moody Slayer-style arpeggios to crunching, groove-fuelled rhythms.

Boasting artwork by Roberto Toderico (Pestilence, Vomitory), Servants of Violence is a tidily produced, well executed and ruthless display of death metal thuggery which bodes very well for the future.

Buy the album here: https://linktr.ee/casketfeeder

 

7 / 10

GARY ALCOCK