“A system of beliefs disguised as religion, an alliance of wealth supported by sheep.”
If you randomly played Servants of Violence to me, I’d assume it would be like the tenth album from a band who has been dominating the extreme metal scene since at least a decade. Behold the astonishment when you realize that it is merely the debut album of Casket Feeder, a Milton-Keynes based death metal & hardcore outfit. Akin to the likes of Venom Prison, Servants of Violence is a refreshingly angry, brutal and ominous album that will start a mosh pit wherever you’re listening to it.
Starting off with “To The Hounds Go The Faithful”, the riff signifies a mood of impending doom only to brutally break off into the more traditional death metal sound. This is yet again followed by a more hardcore vocal style, deftly combining both aspects. This mood is present across the album, with “Tyranny Begins” leaning towards a more pure death metal sound to “Vulture Culture” adapting a more hardcore sound. The fact that Casket Feeder manage to nail both of those sounds perfectly would be an understatement.
Vocalist Matt Downes can scream, growl, roar and hell knows what else. He’s like the complete vocal package all in one (maybe besides the cleans but who needs them here!). Arguably, neither of the songs bring anything novel, they’re great at what they are, a brutal, riff heavy fest that equilibrates hardcore and death metal with the occasional blast beat thrown in between. The album is also perfectly paced with songs placed at the right order to provide a sizeable slice of both sounds right when you’d like some form of switch up.
While it does feel the latter half of the album falls off a tiny bit majorly due to focusing entirely on Casket Feeder’s death metal sound with minimal to no hardcore influences. Servants of Violence is at its best when it’s mixing the two sounds, which are done masterfully on the first half. This warrants more expectations as you go from “Servants of Violence” to “Manifested Ignorance” where all of them essentially are just a riff fest. While they’re by all means not at all bad, they do not live up to the preceding songs. Closer “Edge of Collapse” does manage to finish the album off in a decrescendo in a brutal yet beautiful manner.
It is awe inspiring and jaw dropping what Casket Feeder have managed to create on their very first full length. Servants of Violence is brimming with potential, which bursts through the roof a significant number of times throughout the album. Despite feeling a bit front loaded, it is a visceral foray into the scene that is sure to get the pit circling at any show.
7.5/10
Servants of Violence is out May 20 and you can preorder it here.