Here’s a solid if unspectacular record from Britain’s Frightener who mix hardcore, grindcore and death metal into one crusty, rumbling album that on paper comes across as a mix of Napalm Death, Integrity and Entombed, but just lacking some creative brilliance to make it more than a mere mix of those appealing bands.

With a beefy mid range guitar tone and gruff, Barney greenway styled vocals, the 13 short tracks offer up a high octane, runaway train styled riffage (“Depress”, “Smokescreen”, “Archeron”, “Rain”, “Lifespite”) with power chords colliding with murky, muddy injections of sludgy slow downs (“Guillotine”, “Heretic”, “Bedlam”) and blast beats (“Daedalus”). None of the songs are going to make you gasp in amazement, but on the whole, the album rips and lurches with a respectable intensity, even if it comes off as only slightly more than a 90’s Earache Records tribute played by a hardcore band. Still, yet another promising band from the UK that shows the scene there seems to be getting a rejuvenation across all genres.

If you enjoy the likes of Ringworm, Daymares, Cobra Noir, Cursed, Pulling Teeth, Premonitions of War and such then Frightener should give you just under half an hour of enjoyable, midrange carnage.

[Visit the band's website]

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