With a picture of a skull chewing on the arm of a hapless victim adorning the cover and titles like ‘trim the fat’ and backstabber’, there should be no doubt as to the musical bent of The Spectacle and yet the Texas-based band still manage to stun with the visceral nature of their anger and unholy riffs. Drawing on thrash metal’s vital anger and careering riffs, and augmenting it with a tinge of hardcore for good measure, The Spectacle unleash a furious and socially-aware blend of musical terrorism that wastes no time in hauling its audience off for a good beating.
Opening with ‘trim the fat’ the EP kicks off with the auditory equivalent of a street fight, the crunch of bone and the splatter of blood an inherent feature of the band’s punkish squall. The riffs are delivered like body blows, the percussion a machine-gun-esque cacophony in the background and over it all, the vocals are ground out through teeth clenched to contain the pain. This is music predicated on a wave of unadorned rage and it is delivered like a neutron bomb, the diamond-hard lyrical shards set to a musical backdrop that will leave you broken. ‘Backstabber’ segues straight out of the arcing feedback of its forebear, offering up a furious sound that sits somewhere between Arch Enemy and Hatebreed, the vocals scraping the core of the earth one moment and leaping from the speakers with a hardcore edge whilst the guitars tear holes in the fabric of the universe. Better still is the furious Machine Head / Strapping Young Lad / Faith No More hybrid that is ‘copy/paste’, a song that veers between unholy growls and Mike Patton-esque vocals as cyclical riffs abound. It’s furiously heavy and devilishly stylish and it is certainly not for the weak of spirit or easily intimidated. ‘We are the traitors’ surprises by hinting at a hitherto hidden love of classic rock with its harmonised leads introducing the song, although the vocals are still delivered in the manner of a Rottweiler gargling with acid whilst prowling the corpses of its still twitching victims. Where the song really succeeds, however, is in the hectic groove it deploys which is guaranteed to get heads banging. The final track, ‘sacrilege and empathy’ , is a final punishing blast of churning guitars and pulverising rhythms that will leave you quite exhausted by its conclusion.
The Spectacle are one of those bands who have managed to craft an EP that feels considerably longer than its actual twenty-two minute run time. The band’s musical approach is disparate, bringing to mind Fantomas at their heaviest with hints of Machine Head, Hatebreed, Strapping Young lad and Faith no more all thrown in for good measure. it is a dizzying and tiring approach and whilst the EP will appeal to those with a taste for eclectic metal, some may find the approach too scattershot to fully embrace. The production is impressive throughout, with good separation of instruments and the musicianship, too, is of a high standard, making The Speactacle a band to watch as they gear up for full-length release. An interesting and clearly intelligent band, it is likely that some will find the band a touch too eclectic for their tastes, but for those who appreciate music that is both brutal and challenging, ‘Traitors’ is well worth a spin.
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