Cropsy Maniac-Further Than Fear (2016)

This record is stunning. It is pure, unbridled cruelty channeled into metal. The production is grimy and haunting; the guitars roar like rusty chainsaws, the bass is vile and well chosen and the vocals are..... we will need a new paragraph to talk about the vocals. Upon listening to this debut album, there is no denying that the sheer subhuman brutality these vocals posses is staggering, and provides an invaluable aesthetic template for extreme metal. It is the riffing that stands out for me. Forget all the fretboard wankery you often hear in modern death metal: what we get here is pure, primitive savagery. There is absolutely no chugging, which is a great thing these days, when every other band seems to prefer to bore us senseless with endless breakdowns, rather than thrashing out like a real metal band should. The riffs, in-fact, have a real flavour of crust punk, as well as the more primitive of death metal bands. The fact that these influences can be so easily discerned is part of what I love about this band. I mean, a lot of new death metal bands can send me to sleep pretty quickly, but this album is barbaric and disgusting. These fkn maniacs create a terrifying symphony of unease and gore. Criminally overlooked and underrated, This album is a must hear for fans of Impetigo, Frightmare, Macabre and death metal and extreme music in general. No wimps allowed!!
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Review by Paul Caravasi