Of all the styles that metal has managed to spawn over its illustrious history with plenty of exceedingly specific names to have come into reality in recent years, it’s the realms of slam and brutal death metal that I’ve almost always found myself not enjoying more often than not. That’s not to say I think the styles are bad, but it’s just too intense for me with the vocals being particularly unseemly to me. Yet, I’m always up to hear material that would surprise me, and it’s been years since that happened with the style but it’s Ravaged Spleen Outburst that made me raise my eyebrows with intrigue instantly.
Going into this record, I felt like I had an idea of what to expect as I’ve seen plenty of what brutal death and slam metal bring to the table in absolute spades with all the vicious intensity ranging from vocals that could shatter the earth (or just sound like a pig depending on who you ask) and energy that could peel your skin right off. I figured that Ravaged Spleen Outburst was going to stick to that book and simply push forward with their debut full-length, “The Church of Anemia”, but there’s one thing that this act brought to the table that kept me coming back for more: melody. Now, I’m not saying the style doesn’t have any sort of melody, but Ravaged Spleen Outburst brings the melodic factor to the center stage for all to see as these six tracks churn on right after another as “The Church of Anemia” leaves only bodies in its wake, and the melody brought to the table is all but infectious. And while it’s still a ways away from being the heaviest that the worlds of brutal death and slam have to offer, this is also far from a lightweight of the style as Ravaged Spleen Outburst causes one body to explode after the next through naught but pure sound, and that’s before the vocals even kick in!
Everything is fast and brutal which is all true to the core of both styles that are on clear display with “The Church of Anemia”, and also shows that Ravaged Spleen Outburst is an absolute powerhouse of an act that should have a ton more attention around them despite their debut EP coming out just last month and this full-length releasing next! If it’s any sign of anything, it’s that Ravaged Spleen Outburst is the new act on the scene that should not be ignored lest you miss something potentially massive.
“The Church of Anemia” releases on November 16th!
LISTEN to advanced tracks from “The Church of Anemia” on Bandcamp here.
Ravaged Spleen Outburst does not have any sort of social media account that I could find, so please follow them via Bandcamp through that link right above to keep an eye on their activities and any future material.
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