Brain Drill, Quantum Catastrophe
Well, shit. I suppose that I should have seen this coming. I mean, if Apocalyptic Feasting was any indication of what was on the horizon, I should have been plenty prepared. As is the case, however, I wasn’t and now my brains are leaking slowly from my skull — making a fantastic mess of my laptop — due to the frantic, hyper technical and over-the-top nature of Brain Drill‘s latest Quantum Catastrophe.
To say that the band’s sophomore album is a scorcher would be an understatement. The technical picking, manic rhythms and bestial delivery have all been amped up a good deal. Any fears that the newer members (drums and bass) of the band wouldn’t be able to keep up are null and void after only the first few seconds of the opening track. Dylan Ruskin is at the top of his game on lead guitar, shredding like nobody’s business at a constant rate of attack.
As a whole, there’s so much going on at any one time throughout Quantum Catastrophe that it can become a bit overwhelming. The constant noodling, non-stop blasting rhythms and energetic activity from all members of the band is impressive, but without many breaks from the unrelenting assault on my central nervous system, it’s hard to sit through the entire album in a single sitting. That all said, these motherfuckers know how to play and they play their asses off.
Obliteration Untold
The sick little bass solo that gets this album opener underway let’s you know these guys are gonna put on a show. The rest of the song is non-stop technical mayhem with squealing guitars thundering blasts and guttural vocals. There’s not much groove to this one so hang on as best you can. Overall, it’s an overwhelming, frenetic song that takes all of your attention and focus to make it through.
Beyond Bludgeoned
My brain is going to be beyond bludgeoned if these dudes keep this up. Insane guitar noodling dominates this non-stop track for a solid four minutes. There is a bit of a groove around the one minute mark with some decent vocal patterns, but that quickly gives way to more guitar shreddery — so much so that it’s hard to tell what’s a lead and what isn’t.
Awaiting Imminent Destruction
Only three songs in and I’ve already run out of alternative copy for guitar shredding, noodling and hyper blasts. This song is damned impressive, but this has got to be a new record for songs starting to sound the same. There’s a bit of a slow down around 1:30 that’s a nice break as the band shifts into chugging riffs and rolling drums.
Nemesis of Neglect
“Nemesis of Neglect” starts off with a pretty violent blast of drums and thicker guitars before settling into a bit of a punishing groove. It’s not overtly apparent, but it works. There is still some fast finger work thrown into the mix that’ll leave more cranial puddles on my desk than needed. There’s a good bit of catchy and melodic guitar work around the two minute mark, but it’s unfortunately short lived.
Entity of Extinction
You can say this for Quantum Catastrophe, it moves along with a quickness. For as much technical and frenetic energy that the band throws around in the album, it’s over quicker than you realize. Thick guitars and rolling drums get this one off to a pretty raucous start along with the fairly monotone vocals (albeit with a few more higher end screams) that have been accompanying Ruskin’s guitar wizardry the entire album.
Mercy to None
“Mercy to None” has some slick bass work rumbling behind the hyper guitar work and the quicker than all get out double blasts of the drums. This is a frenetic burst that never seems to end until just after the three minute mark when it’s suddenly absent from my skull.
Monumental Failure
After the aural beating that I just took on that last track, you’d think that the band would let up a bit — let me regain my senses. Nope. Not today. Brain Drill keep bringing the violent outbursts with massive drum blasts and more spastic, finger flying guitar work. This is one of the more bruising tracks on the disc.
Quantum Catastrophe
While the title track showcases a bit more progressive influence within it’s 15 minute run time, it also has five minutes of nearly dead air afterward which really isn’t necessary. Personally, I like where the band is going with this song. It’s still technically proficient and energetic, but it’s also a bit more restrained, dynamic and, when all is said and done, more creative. It’s probably the strongest song, as well, with a more cohesive structure.
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Additional Notes:
n/a