“I would sooner immolate than let you burn me again.“
Tampa unit Contention have more than spent their time honing their craft since forming 2019, dropping a self-titled EP that year that was followed by Laying Waste to the Kingdom of Oblivion and Summer Offensive, in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Their abrasive and rage-fuelled concoction of hardcore had the air of becoming bolder and imposing, which Contention have more than achieved on debut full-length Artillery From Heaven.
The volley of sound that Contention present is forcefully and quickly delivered as Artillery From Heaven rolls into “ICBM” and “Ousted From Eden“, pulverizing riffs on top of crashing drums make for a sound that is inescapable, and is some of the hardest that this year has delivered. The latter including a feature from Broken Vow and contains the pertinent commentary “View of the distant sky obstructed by steel, a maze of concrete, a wound that never heals“, before exiting out on a sample of Joshua Graham of Fallout: New Vegas.
Artillery From Heaven moves back to its scathing nature on following tracks “Inflict My Will” and “Revenge Directive“, with the opening moments of the former being nothing short of absolutely feral as vocalist Cosmo yells “One lifetime of vengeance is not enough“. It’s worth noting the almost rustic nature of the production, which was done by John Howard at War House Studio, the rough manner of it fitting the post-apocalyptic themes at hand along with Contention‘s abrasive sound.
Before heading into its final stretch as tension building interlude “Faustian Machinations” plucks away at the guitar chords, it’s preceded by another spite filled track in “Lobotomite Bliss“, which delivers a noteworthy reference to Fyodor Dostoevsky with the closing line “You destroyed and betrayed yourself, all for nothing“. After the aforementioned interlude passes, Contention continue to pummel away on “Chasm” and “In The Land Of Nod“, with the disdain of aspect of humanity and society seeping in even further.
Extended cut “Nuclear Peace” closes out the record, allowing the metallic riffs to showcase themselves more. As it screams the foreboding line, “The lesson that you could not learn by peace will now be taught by fire“, Contention perform the heaviest and most crunching breakdown of the record. It’s an exiting reminder at how on-point Contention have got Artillery From Heaven, an engulfing heaviness that is brutal, with lyrics that are scathing but pertinent in their manner and makes for one hell of a listen.
8/10
Artillery From Heaven is out May 3rd via DAZE and can be pre-ordered here.