The sign of a confident album is when the guest appearances bolster rather than salvage the work put in by the primary artists. Thus, Enterprise Earth’s Death: An Anthology (MNRK Heavy) is a certified scorcher in which the 11 featured tracks stand tall, both independently and as an aggregation of technically aligned Deathcore.
The wealth of intricacies and variety is but the starting point for this behemoth. So let’s get into it.
Photo Credit – Nick Chance
“Face Of Fear” is the musical equivalent of a delicious triple decker club sandwich. Downright kaleidoscopic instrumentals, warm and not out-of-place clean singing and extensive guitar soloing is a feast to behold, for sure.
“Spineless” becomes a true bruiser following a cinematic, foreboding introduction. The vocal tête-à-tête of cleaner vs. harsh deliveries in the hook is executed exquisitely. And the bellowing of “You’ll never be a fucking king!” could act as the detonator for an adrenaline-powered atomic bomb.
Death also features sensational Metalcore screams (“Blood And Teeth”) and futuristic programming which bleeds into cheeky bass guitar noodling (“Accelerated Demise”). The latter track even appears to mimic the beginning of one of the many solo licks from Van Halen’s “Eruption”. And for the groovers out there, “Casket Of Rust” is a masterstroke.
Remember, this is all before we even get into the guest musicians who appear on this record.
Ben Duerr (Shadow Of Intent) lends his work on “King Of Ruination”, a song rife with exceptional vocal ranges, angsty-sounding riffs and a compelling hook. Darius Tehrani of Spite features on “The Reaper’s Servant”, boasting industrial chugging and forceful soloing.
“Malevolent Force” (featuring Wes Hauch of Alluvial) is a potpourri of styles and houses an excellent, enticing musical story arch. And finally, Trivium’s Matt Heafy helps close out the record with “Curse Of Flesh”.
A soft, slow, sing-chanty introduction track (“Abyss”) is jettisoned by a girthy riff that powers the second half of the song; “I Divine” appears influenced by nu-metal, filled with weird moaning held notes before exploding into a headbanging-in-an-arena piece.
Death: An Anthology is reminiscent of a Thanksgiving dinner. The mashed potatoes and stuffing are already goated, and with the addition of gravy, it becomes a nearly perfect meal.
Enterprise Earth penned a nearly perfect record.
Buy the album here:
9 / 10
MATT COOK
