My friend Kieran Scott of Ashen Crown returns with more murderous mutterings to present his new outfit, Death Collector, comprising a host of brazen badasses they bulldoze their way into our already pulled apart lives, attaching their talons to our organs and begin to smurgle away like a contented cat.
It is a feast of dreams, diligently put together, we have on drums, Andy Whale (ex- Bolt Thrower), Mick Carey (Zealot Cult) on guitar, Lee Cummings (Severe Lacerations) is the bassist and of course Kieran is the mic maestro. The title track on this EP lets you see how collaborations, when dealt with respect and mutual appreciation of the art, can be a success. It is a growlsome body of work, worthy of your attention, levels of riffing that inhabit a different plane, arrangements that are composite, yet true to its roots and loyal to the protocol of heavy music.
‘Internal Expansion’ continues the aural assault, reopening wounds you thought had healed and adding a few more for good measure. Heavy music is here to stay, it has a viable and deserved place in Metal, one that has been crafted over time, it is a sub-genre, evolving on the fringes of a genre that is already on the fringes. A tapestry of its own; prevailing in the harshest of circumstances, paving the way forward. An ideal sanctuary for the unwanted, the lost and disconnected.
Make way for the ‘Terrorizer’ and let him induce an hypnotic aspect that reels you into an ecosystem where the wild things roam and discharge their precious cargo for your consumption. An expedition to breathe fire and life into us; powerfully potent and pulverising, yet garnering an evocative, passionate, and demonstrative lustre. Listen with intent and commitment as it descends from the snow-covered mountains to create an avalanche of icy intimacy and integrity.
Excuse me while I stitch my ears back on.
Azra Pathan
Death Collector – Times Up out 4th March.