Brain Drill – Quantum Catastrophe
Obliteration Untold
Beyond Bludgeoned
Awaiting Imminent Destruction
Nemesis of Neglect
Entity of Extinction
Mercy to None
Monumental Failure
Quantum Catastrophe
They’re not joking when they call this ‘technical death metal’. In fact, you might well think they just exist to make you feel bad about your own pathetic lack of ability. What you should be feeling - apart from despair over not being able to play a ten-finger bass tap solo that makes Eddie Van Halen look like Stephen Hawking with arthritis – is a sense of exhilaration.
Granted, Brain Drill are a tad more densely textured than their peers like The Faceless; they operate more in the realms of grindcore, with near constant blast beats and vertigo-inducing lead runs that serve as the melodic hooks. And once you get beyond the sheer density of it all, you actually find ‘Mercy To None’ surprisingly catchy, especially the spaghetti Western-style riff that closes out the final quarter. Indeed, subsequent playt houghs gradually reveal the ebb and flow present on the likes of ‘Obliteration Untold’ and ‘Awaiting Imminent Destruction’.
If there’s one thing you can ping Brain Drill for, it’s the fact they let their desire to be as intense as possible overwhelm even the most ardent tech head; they hardly settle on a riff, so when moments like the final third of ‘Monumental Failure’ kick in, you begin why this band divide opinion so much. And while it may lack the demented catchiness of ‘Apocalyptic Feasting’, this is still the ideal album to blast out to anyone who thinks Black Dahlia Murder are the ultimate in brutality.
Reviewed by Steve Jones
‘Quantum Catastrophe’ is out now on Metal Blade
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