Immortal Bird – Thrive on Neglect


Thirty-seven minutes of dark passion. That’s what we get with the second album, Thrive on Neglect from Chicago troop, Immortal Bird. The production was handled by Dave Otero (Allegaeon, Archspire, Cattle Decapitation, Khemmis) at Flatline Audio in Colorado. Immaculately produced, the album sounds great in headphones or full on with speakers.


Lyrically this albums’ seven songs are powerful beasts. It’s not superficial fluff about the usual metal tropes. Vocalist/musician Rae Amitay has something important to say. One of the highlight tracks for me, ‘Avolition’, just starts blasting home the emotions we’ve all been through in relationships. It’s melodic where it needs to be, and brutal when it has to be. The strong album opener, ‘Anger Breeds Contempt’, hammers the hate and resentment one feels for wasting too much time with the wrong person. There are some seriously tasty basslines and drumming on this one, with an almost-there breakdown that is one of the grooviest sections on the record.


Nothing on here sounds like filler, and everything feels complete and methodically thought out. ‘Quisquilian Company’ it’s full of Black Metal tonal goodness. While the final track ‘Stumbling Toward Catharsis’ had an almost Ralph Santolla feeling ripping solo. Homage or not, it’s freaking great to these ears. Nice guitar work!

This album sounds as if Candiria had a black metal baby, and it grew up listening to John Coltrane. These songs are so well done, with many stylistic changes seamlessly shifting, it’s full of surprises. From moment to moment you can never really tell where it’s going to go in advance. I dig it.

8 / 10

OMAR CORDY