By themselves, both death metal and punk are titans of the underground in every form with their influence, history, and reputations not able to be underestimated by those who find themselves even close to their worlds. They have made quite a stir in many different ways over the decades that I don’t need to go into, yet it’s not often enough that we see bands out there trying to bring the two together in such a form that feels fleshed out and compelling with fewer still managing to do such a concoction justice. I vividly remember checking out Avern’s debut, “Witch’s Eye”, and being intrigued by the mix of black metal and punk for such a form that left me wanting more! Now, it is with a slight shift in sound that takes them just into the realm of death metal, their return is not something to miss out on.
I am fully confident in saying that Avern could have done damn near anything with the evolution of their sound be it keep it the same or radically change it, and I would still feel as though they were onto gold that none of us knew where ready for. “Witch’s Eye” was the definition of promising, but it is with “Hell on Earth” that we see that promise fulfilled to a significant degree of success that cannot be downplayed or turned down. While I do believe that plenty if not all of these six tracks could be a tad shorter to really capture a raw, fleeting sound that can’t be easily pinned down no matter how hard one may try, it is impossible for me to look upon the ravaging that takes place within the very whole of “Hell on Earth” and not become helplessly sucked into the whirlwind that Avern commands to their very will with masterful precision and deadly intent! Riffs abound in every given corner of the album and a ferocious energy that never once lets up to allow the listener so much as a moment of reprieve to the whipping of Avern, this is what it means to merge the worlds of death metal and punk into such a form that is nigh on compelling. It has been far too long since any creation of this ilk has come ever a fraction as close to accomplishing what Avern has done here with every given facet offering us a new flavor of success that cannot be turned away from.
Whether it’s the intoxicating rage that permeates every track, the unrelenting pace as you’re ripped from one track to another, or the sheer rallying cry that is the mere return of Avern’s unfettered power, “Hell on Earth” is a sensational piece that truly knows how to captivate the listener and twist them to its demented will. Avern could have gone in any direction for this new opus, and it’s in digging their heels in even further into what they laid forth on that foundational debut that they’ve crafted a sight to behold in more ways than one with “Hell on Earth” a creation that must be studied for all the glory it has brought to the realms of both metal and punk in supreme quality.
LISTEN to “Hell on Earth” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Avern on Facebook here.
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