(c) Ashley Simpson
Almost three years after the release of “Replica Of A Strange Love”. Wrist meter a little restart. Jonah Thorne is out, Justin Fornof gave up the bass and is now taking over the vocals alone, but two more musicians have been brought on board. The quintet also developed its sound further; in addition to the chaotic, rough metalcore of the first hour, they now increasingly use thrash and melodic death riffs, accompanied by industrial and nu metal. And yet sounds „Degeneration“ in the best sense as the logical musical sequel.
In the short, crisp and incredibly angry “Trepanation” the newly formed quintet lashes out wildly. The almost unavoidable parallels to Zao are retained, while the additionally integrated synthetics give the proceedings an unreal touch and at the same time provide the perfect stage for brutal breakdowns with subtle deathcore influences. Two doors down, “DogdayGod” plunges headfirst down the industrial slope, accompanied by beats and samples. The uncomfortable, ominous mood in the verses causes pain, then thrash riffs pave the way for the next primal explosion – a borderline experience that fits the US band’s sound.
Another treat is “The Vanity Procession”, which primarily deals with the influences of early melodic death formations on the metalcore primordial soup. There are a lot of Swedish riffs here, anthemic climaxes and brutal, vomiting core parts come together. “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead” is even somewhat in the earliest screamo tradition in terms of lyrics and aesthetics, which suits Wristmeetrazor similarly well and ultimately takes off with furious energy. In “Xeroxed Reflection” thrash riffs, rare clear vocals and direct, rough cyber attacks come together – a chaotic and at the same time damn entertaining mix.
Wristmeetrazor takes chaotic exaggeration to the extreme and does it well. Creative overload and underproduced sound is not always an easy mix, but it easily conceals the excess of energy and esprit. “Degeneration” lives up to its name, is a sequel and a new start at the same time, shows all the strengths of the new line-up and still leaves room for improvement. It remains to be seen whether the journey will take us into more technoid, more melodic or even coarser regions in the future. In this form, Wristmeetrazors can’t do much wrong either way.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: March 29, 2024
Available via: Prosthetic Records (Cargo Records)
Website: wristmeetrazor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wristmeetrazor
Category: Magazin, Reviews