Album Reviews : Intercranial Tremors – Rebirth

Following the release of their three-track EP, Entropy, back in August this year, Melbourne’s Intercranial Tremors have now taken the liberty of remixing their first EP (which was only released back in April of this year), Rebirth. The result is a poisonous, unrelenting slice of vicious, modern death metal. With the mixing and mastering now refined and clear, every second drips with venom. While the ultimate product remains relatively similar to its first incarnation – at least musically speaking – it carries forth with more potency the general ferocity of their aural assault.

Vocalist Joshua Leigh Krueger uses a varied, if not at times, somewhat immature growled approach. Crossing the lines between low growls, reptilian mids, and croaky, blackened highs, when it works (as it does with “Engineering the Chain of Decay” and “Crown of Creation”), it works well. When it doesn’t quite hit the mark (as with the awkward vocal opening to “Despondent Chorus of the End”), it isn’t so much unpleasant as it is an area where further training in the use of the multiple vocal elements will serve to make Intercranial Tremors’ overall sound flow more organically. That being said, in terms of playing off the unnerving drum triggers and the tremolo picking, it blends with these parts efficiently.

Intercranial Tremors are making a statement with this EP, and the statement is one of taking no prisoners. The Middle-Eastern twang that opens “Lord of the F(lies)” adds an unexpected yet welcomed element to their music. This sound is again visited when the short guitar solo hits at the bridge. It’s a pleasant step away from the crushing barrage of sounds that hit you elsewhere, with the use of breakdowns later flooding forth like a thick, churning sea of thick, inescapable tar. Every note across these five tracks bleeds with pain and anger, and you feel the rush of ferocity surge through you when you listen to it. I especially loved the way Adam Anderson‘s drumming and Jason Thrussell‘s bass drove all parts of the music. Moreover, the twin guitar assault of Luke Murnane and Veselin “Vesko” Shterev added flair and organic substance to Intercranial Tremors’ music.

Intercranial Tremors appear as a band still discovering their sound and coming into their own. With further refining of their music, and a greater understanding of the sound they are aiming for, they have the real potential of growing into a powerhouse of death metal in Australia. Overall, a fine EP that despite its few flaws (flaws that can be erased with time, mind you) is undeniably technically driven and inspired.

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