PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Convulse return to the forefront with ‘Cycle Of Revenge’, which incredibly is only their fourth album since surfacing in the early 90’s, an extended hiatus for many a year contributing heavily to that statistic of course.
As with most promo blurb Planetmosh receives along with any album due for release, it is always “the best thing the band has ever done”,” the highpoint of their career”, and other such quotes but in the case of Convulse’s latest offering, those words more than ring true. From the very start ‘Cycle Of Revenge’ delivers, so many avenues are explored that the listener needs a street map to navigate themselves around. Often tinged with despair and anguish, and yet able to shift effortlessly to the psychedelic and melodic, these are eight tracks brimming with quality.
Opening with the title track, I’m left in no doubt that I’m listening to something rather special, a beautifully mellow intro that just builds and builds in its intensity before the guttural vocal slams in, throwing your senses against the wall, eventually followed by a sublimely uplifting and trippy solo that completes the track to pure perfection. Flowing straight into the slightly faster paced ‘God Is You’, the enjoyment levels are raised a notch as another killer song unfolds. I do not like to compare a bands sound to another in general, especially in the case of Convulse, as they do change musical style quite often, but I definitely got an aromatic whiff of Sepultura mixed with a heady Soulfly bouquet in parts, but never to the detriment of their own identity. This album is as fresh and crisp as a winters morn, from the galloping pace of ‘Nature Of Humankind’ to the twisted madness of ’Ever Flowing Stream’. Each track succeeds in engaging and captivating the listener, and although deeply complex and challenging in places, the album remains surprisingly easy to become immersed in, never becoming a chore to listen to at any point.
Where Convulse go from this point, who knows? They certainly don’t seem to be the kind of band that does predictability anyway. I genuinely hope that ‘Cycle Of Revenge’ is well received, it damn well deserves to be. A fine example of how diverse the Death Metal genre can be when done properly. Put this album at the top of your wanted list!
Reviewer’s recommended track : Cycle Of Revenge
Track Listing:
Cycle Of Revenge
God Is You
Pangaea
Fractured Pieces
Nature Of Humankind
Ever Flowing Stream
War
Into The Void
Convulse are:
Rami Jämsä – Guitar, Vocals
Juha Telenius – Bass
Rolle Markos – Drums
Cycle Of Revenge sees its release through Svart Records on the 18th of March.
https://www.facebook.com/Convulse
