Dallas, Texas, brutal death metal four-piece I Am Destruction, strike a chord with the name alone when you first see, or read it. It screams pure hatred, fear and dominance. First formed in 2013 as a one-man project by guitarist and vocalist Stephen Mashburn, the band now consists of four members, signing with record label, Unique Leader in 2018. ‘Nascency’ will be unleashed on 24 April, and it is one for fans of the likes of Aborted, Devourment and Vulvodynia.
One of the first things that must be addressed, is this album is not for the faint-hearted or easy go listener. The destructive ten track album is intense, from end to start. To really appreciate this kind of slamming heaviness, you either need to be a fan of the genre previously or have the time to really sit down and delve into it. With menacing gutturals, shrieking vocals and consistent dooming riffs, beats and atmosphere – it defines the word ‘heavy’.
Opening track, ‘Primo Incisum’, dives straight into a haunting atmosphere. An isolated sound of a metal chain being dragged around before a piercing female screech and screams arise. Shortly, a male’s voice joins, singularly stating “I have too”. This very dark, unsettling start, before the actual song starts, was quite difficult to listen to, but not uncommon for the genre. After this scenario, the actual song kicks in with elongated, slow paced riffs and carnage vocals.
As mentioned earlier on, the whole album consists of deep guttural style vocals, occasionally mixed in with higher pitched screams. Very suited to the genre, brutal death metal, and also to the overall dooming tone that I Am Destruction brings. You will either love or hate it simply. It reminds me a lot of bands such as A Night In Texas, or Ingested – which the band have performed some opening sets for.
Even though some of the song lengths are slightly longer than the average three minutes or so, the structures are very well thought out and executed. Each track holds its own, without merging into the next, which can be difficult when trying to make every track as heavy as possible. The tracks don’t become repetitive or seem dragged out for the sake of reaching a time limit.
‘Nascency’ is a realm of punishing brutality, be sure to check it on its release at the end of this week. If you want heavy, this will not disappoint.
- ‘Nascency’ is released on Friday (24 April). You can get your copy HERE.
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