Album Review: Angel Grinder – Confessions of the Damned (Self Released)

Carl Fisher 2 min read

Boston underground forces collide to unleash extreme death metal band Angel Grinder’s debut full-length album, Confessions of the Damned. The 5-piece was founded in 2015 by Belarusian-born guitarist and composer Daniel Gordevich (Nocuous).

After recruiting drummer Joseph Goldwater (Concilium) and vocalist Eden Rayz (Scaphism), Angel Grinder recorded their full-length debut Confessions of the Damned and it will be released in the Spring.

Like the opening of a horror movie, conjuring up images of shadowy barns with rusting weapons, Overture sets up the hellacious noise that will be heard throughout Confessions of the Damned perfectly.

With deep rumbling percussion, brightly burning riffing and a skin-stripping style of vocals, Angel Grinder emerge with the title track. Fast, so damn heavy and scarily brutal. It’s death metal at its most vile sounding.

Not without musical merit though, Angel Grinder stand out from the crowd by showing a bit more of a creative flair to their noise. Normally led or dominated by the guitars as Spine By Spine, Cryostasis and Axe to Grind drink deeply from the well of head-banging heaviness that infects the senses.

There’s little in the way of ‘death metal nonsense’ here, Angel Grinder tick all the boxes that regular listeners will be familiar with. The only surprising direction change being the melody of Exile. Although it has to be said that this has a covering of evil darkness over it.

It serves as a bit of a palette cleanser as Got Your Goat erupts like a monstrosity emerging from the tattered flesh of its incubation within a body. Horrifying and with serious dangerous intent, this is Angel Grinder at their best.

732 then shows off a bit more of a speed metal side of the band as they play with all the pace of a starving beast who has a meal in front of it. Ritual Heresey is just as fast and even more in your face with its aggressive stance whereas Pyres has Angel Grinder proving once and for all that their ferocious assault is one that is enjoyable no matter how rough and raw they choose to play it.

Angel Grinder – Confessions of the Damned Full Track Listing:

1. Overture
2. Confessions of the Damned
3. Spine By Spine
4. Cryostasis
5. Axe to Grind
6. Exile
7. Got Your Goat
8. 731
9. Ritual Heresy
10. Pyres

 

 

Links

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Angel Grinder - Confessions of the Damned (Self Released)
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