Evolution is a necessity in the natural world. For any species to continue life, it has to continually reinvent itself, and since humans are the ultimate evolution, this includes Death Metal bands as well. See how I weaved that to be an introduction? Effortlessly.

Anyway, today has brought me a promo for an album I’ve been waiting for with bated breath; I’m talking about the new CrusHuman opus Imperial… what else would I be waiting for like that? The new Nicki fucking Minaj? I think absolutely fuck that. Nope, I’m talking about the aforementioned CrusHuman, and this is coming in hotter than a cougar on league night. Fourteen angry tracks of brutal Grindcore and this time they’ve brought some evolution with them.

If the songs from the stellar EP Besides were an indication of things to come (more slams, more groove, etc.) Then Imperial should be spinning like a possessed Nun in your musical apparatus. Now that I’ve built it up, how is it?

Well. Right off the bat, we get TOTD scribe; the immortal Frank Rini shredding his vocal cords with his penetrating roar on “Bell Ringer”. I swear his fucking uvula can lift 50lbs with no effort whatsoever. For a straight minute and fifty-one seconds, you’re beaten head and foot by the sheer weight of the song. Then, nineteen seconds later, “Lab Rat” has already cruised by like an assassin’s bullet.

Last year’s Besides fought it out with Kosuke Hashida for Best Grindcore album, and it’s sort of ironic that Kosuke Hashida has put out their Moment of Silence, and here I have a new CrusHuman, there’s something going on in the universe, probably imminent destruction and pain. Anyway.

“5 Dollar Lobotomy” has this ultra-infectious main riff that rings in your head hours after listening has ended. It’s a shredding Napalm Death-ish track that has a huge Diatribes/Words from the Exit Wound vibe to it, the closing riff is a fucking thing of beauty. “Synthetic Religion” digs deeper into society and its fascination with organized religion, while “Hive Mind” has a bit of a Lock Up meets Nasum itch to scratch with some killer shouted gang vocals over a striding beat.

One thing about Imperial is that they slam more on this release than on the two previous; this gives way to some interesting Internal Bleeding and Sanguisugabogg moments, particularly in “Die Young”. “Order of the Dragon” brings a bit of Terrorizer to the table, while “Discord” continues in the Napalm Death vein. “The List” seems to hint at the CrusHuman story arch but only a tiny bit; it doesn’t sound like that has been continued here, which is cool. These guys don’t need to be troubadours and bards.

“Trinity” is a fucking menacing track. Slow (kinda) and vicious riffing punching holes in the sky. “Wet Works” surges forward with victorious weapons in its arsenal and some more discordant guitars skronking away in the background.

The hits keep coming, literally. There are fourteen tracks on Imperial, the songs are longer than those on Besides and the first album collectively.

“Artificial Salvation”, “Last Drop”, and the craziest song on the whole album, “OTTO”, round out the final three; “OTTO” is a slamming masterpiece and the perfect ending for this ass kicker.

This is already shaping up to be another great year for Heavy Metal, and CrusHuman is leading the charge once again. With stellar production that ensures each instrument is mixed perfectly. If you love Napalm Death, Nasum, Brutal Truth and Lock Up, then you should already be familiar with CrusHuman and their brand of brutality. Go get this!

[Visit the band's website]

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