Storm Upon The Masses – Crusher Of Souls
Reviewed by: Kenneth Gallant
Review Score: 8
I recently reviewed the latest release from Aborted and immensely enjoyed the brutal assault. So here is another band that brings heaping amounts of blast beats, razor-sharp riffs and featuring voracious vocals. Of course I’m talking about Storm Upon The Masses, who share all the same qualities as Aborted and possibly throw in a little Krisiun and Suffocation for good measure.
Their overall death metal sound is a punishing mix of brutality and aggressiveness taken to hyper level speeds. I will say this Belgium based band know how to steer the ship with frantic riffs and bestial growls. The pacing is relentless on opening track ‘Seas Of Infinite Plague’ and once you get past the creepy opening, it becomes a little ditty to split your ears apart. The vocals are raspy and monstrous sounding, but it’s the thrashy layering of riffs that caught my attention the most.
The sharp contrasting sounds of guitars and blast beats push tracks like ‘Unleash The Demonic Surge’ and ‘Warfare Ungodly’. However, one of my favourite tracks close to the midway point features some vocal assists by Julien Truchan of French death grind band Benighted. He lends his pipes on ‘Murderous Exhibition’ to give the song an added extra zing vocally. But for me it’s the galloping riffs that drive the track to a satisfying conclusion. Then you get ‘Return To Ash’ pummeling you into submission when the blastbeats hit you square in the face. I absolutely love the lyrics written so insidiously and procuring a line from good ‘ole Pinhead himself as he proclaims tearing your soul apart.
The title track ‘Crusher Of Souls’ is a bombastic masterpiece, allowing Brecht Putteneers to unleash his best growls yet on this one. ‘Cauldron Of Carnage’ is a mega-stomp of pummeling blast beats and featuring lyrics about worshipping the lord of gore with a cauldron overflowing of maggots, decaying body parts and human skin. It’s fiendishly written and one heck of a wicked song to boot. Lorena Moraes of technical death metal band Triagone comes in to lend her shrill vocals as another layering effect to the proceedings. She fits right in on ‘Arterial Red’ and I have to give the band props for selecting the right guest support.
The last track ‘To Follow’ begins with a sample of skittish sounds and a heartbeat, before a malevolent voice is heard saying before you die, I will put your children underneath the knife. It sounds like it could come from one of the subsequent Hellraiser sequels, although I am not entirely sure. Regardless, it’s a chilling beginning to what amounts to a ripper of a song and ‘Excessive Retaliation’ is a solid closer for my tastes.
Crusher Of Souls is a worthy follow-up to 2018’s ‘The Ones Who Came Back’. The album’s themes of annihilation, destruction, horror, and mythical creatures continues to churn the lyrical content preoccupying the band’s mindset. The music is brutal at times, but I love the thrashy riffs and the layering of the blastbeats and vocals. Storm Upon The Masses continue providing solid death metal and I do look forward to where they go next.
The album will be released on April 27th, so go out and get your copy as soon as that date rolls around. This is an independent release. PURCHASE HERE.