The debut album from Massachusetts quartet Fuming Mouth is a blistering and seamless mix of death metal, crust and hardcore that is filled with searing riffs and earth shattering vocals.
Opener ‘Fatalism’ sets the tone with its sharp riffs and punishing hardcore-infused vocals tearing out of the speakers, underpinned by a gloriously distorted bass line and furious drumming. The lyrics are just as unforgiving, as singer Mark Whelan spits “Burning alive from inside / Now I’m nothing / Now there’s nothing I can do”. ‘Nothing To Bleed’ follows a similar course, this time with some ’90s post-hardcore riffing adored with death growls and chaotic guitar leads. That crusty, fat bass is there again in ‘Burning Hand’, anchoring the ferocity all the time, providing a gloriously massive low-end to proceedings. The track’s savage riffs barrel along as Whelan once again hopelessly implores “The hours I’ve lost / The minutes I’ve traded / The hands of the clock are burning away”. Closing track ‘The Spirit’s Chain’ has more than a touch of hardcore punk in it’s juggernaut rhythm, but expands briefly to feature some haunting clean vocal harmonies, giving the song an added dimension and lending the track a grandiose feel.
It can’t be stressed just how massive and intense this album sounds. One look at the stunning cover artwork by Polish artist Mariusz Lewandowski (Mirror Reaper anyone?) gives the listener a sense of the scale and brutality Fuming Mouth are aiming for and they deliver it here in spades. Of course many bands have mixed death metal and hardcore before but where Fuming Mouth succeed is in how naturally intertwined and unforced it all sounds, making The Grand Descent a truly impressive debut.
The Grand Descent is released via Triple B Records on 7th June and can be purchased here.
Words: Adam Pegg
