Tria mera are a band on a mission to deliver maximum metal devastation with their super-heated riffs pouring out of the ether like so much molten lava. Proponents of brutal death metal, Tria mera have no interest in pandering to the mainstream, preferring to do their own thing and to hell with the rest – always and admirable attitude. With nods to Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy and Dying Fetus, the ‘Extinction’ EP offers up a suitably sinus-clearing does of dearth metal with just enough melodic nous to render it memorable as well as blistering.
Getting off to a cracking start, ‘Requiem’ veers between the genre’s typically crushing percussion, furiously guttural vocals and vast snatches of beautifully harmonised lead guitar work, the latter of which edges the band firmly into the melodic territory of At the Gates. A short, sharp shock to the system it sets the scene and then allows ‘the sacrifice’ to come haring into view with its full on guitars, unhinged vocals and show-no-mercy attitude. This is what you want from an extreme metal EP: no compromise and no remorse, Tria Mera simply unleash hell and leave the listener to pick up the pieces afterwards. ‘Severance’ opens with a gruelling riff that demands you bang your head before picking up the pace and dishing out the sort of primal fury that makes Kataklysm such a force to be reckoned with only to deliver a melodic chorus that would not sound out of place on a release from Swedish legends Soilwork. ‘The solace of tomorrow’ plummets back into the dark abyss of pounding death metal, the rhythmic pulse seemingly custom made to send the mosh pit into a whirling frenzy, only for ‘Illusions’ to take things one step further with a staccato assault on the senses offset by a melodic chorus that is infectious and memorable without any loss of metallic power. The EP’s final track, ‘ waiting for destruction’ sees the disc out on a high, the track’s chrome-plated riffs and percussive blasts underpinning a vocal that drips with venom.
Overall Tria Mera offer up a brutal assault that makes up for its reliance on familiar Swedish-styled death metal structures with an abundance of enthusiasm that translates into a frequently potent mix of throat-tearing vocals, hyper-speed guitars and deafening percussion. Whilst ‘extinction’ offers very little that is new, it is a brilliantly paced and produced introduction to the band and offers plenty of insight into the technical skills on offer, hinting at greater things to come when they indulge in a full-length offering. If you like your metal to tear the paper from the walls and the flesh from your bones, then Tria Mera are most definitely for you.
