Album Review: Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht (Century Media Records)

Rising from the ashes of personal and professional chaos, armed with new vocalist Lukas, Mental Cruelty make their much-anticipated return with ‘Zwielicht’ (translated in English as Twilight’). The new album will be released on June 23rd, 2023, via Century Media Records.

The combination of extreme sounds Mental Cruelty have abused us with over the years shows no sign of abating with Zwielicht. Instead, it showcases a more refined style of chaos, with new vocalist Lukas seamlessly fitting in.

It’s a grand symphonic start to the album with the stormy introduction of Midvinter, which gloriously flows into Obsessis A Daemonio. Is it black metal? Is it death metal? Is it deathcore? Does it really matter? It can simply be summed up as extreme.

Yet that is often a word that comes with some reservations. Extreme means unlistenable to many, and while there is no doubt those of a softer disposition will struggle with the blazing speed and guttural carnage on show, this is purposefully and studiously put together so it does have a cleaner and clearer sound.

After such a variety laden start, it seems as though Mental Cruelty might have already peaked but that is far from the case. Forgotten Kings, Pest, Nordlys, and Mortal Shells are each as big and as exceptionally layered as the other. It’s extremely impressive how Mental Cruelty continue to raise the bar track after track. The constant tone shifts, the moving to one aspect of heaviness without interruption, melodic touches, and the overall focus on empathic extreme noise, is brilliant.

With the title track, Mental Cruelty allow the listener to draw breath as they prepare to push the senses to their very limits with the latter portion of the album. First, there is the unbridled death metal explosivity of Symphony of a Dying Star. Then there is the ‘core’ style melodic anthem that is The Arrogance of Agony. Before the longest track on the album, Tale of Salt and Light, showcases all the brilliance of modern Mental Cruelty in one grand and pulverising hit.

Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht Track Listing:

1. Midtvinter
2. Obsessis A Daemonio
3. Forgotten Kings
4. Pest
5. Nordlys
6. Mortal Shells
7. Zwielicht
8. Symphony of a Dying Star
9. The Arrogance of Agony
10. Tale of Salt and Light

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