Welcome back metalheads to another episode of The Great Metal Debate Podcast. I'm Xander and today we are going to be talking about an underground metal band from Joplin, Missouri called Gravehuffer.
I was granted early access to review this new album titled ... Depart from So Much Evil a full month before it's February 17th release date.
According to metal-archives, the genre is a mix between thrash metal, crust and grindcore. All of those subgenres are styles that I will be the first to admit that I am unfamiliar with. However, I am willing to step outside my comfort zone and explore new avenues.
This is the band's 4th full-length studio album and despite not listening to anything else in the band's discography, I gotta say that I am pleasantly surprised by what this group is capable of especially with only 6 songs.
"Blueprint for an Early Grave" is the first track on this album that begins with a little noise for an intro. It all starts with air horns followed by an announcer giving a warning over some loudspeakers about evacuating an area. The heavy music picks up as we hear people shouting but once all that is over, the vocalist comes in to deliver his lyrics. The song alone is very short but it's just a taste of what is to come.
The next track is called "Slayberry" and it is much faster and much more aggressive sounding. While researching this band, the online metal encyclopedia doesn't reveal the name of the current drummer but whoever they are, they seem to really know how to beat those skins at a rapid rate of speed.
"The Cryptid and The Iron Bird" displays the full range of vocalist Travis McKenzie who seems to have many different voices. It's refreshing to hear someone who isn't stuck doing the exact same thing for every single song.
But now we must acknowledge the stringed instrument players and how perfectly in sync they are. The bass playing of Mike Jilge is symmetrically in line with guitarist Ritchie Randall complimenting his overall rhythm. Both of them know when its their turn to shine back and forth on a track. A great example of it happens during the song "Brainstorm".
"Go Murder Pray and Die" is probably my favorite song on this album due to the angry and fast pace of everything. I definitely hear the punk rock influences in this one.
The album title track "Depart From So Much Evil" has a slow and ominous start. One thing you'll notice is that the track is over 22 minutes long but the actual song within it is only 7:30. There's a lot of filler sounds that stretch all the way to almost the 13th minute before another song within the track begins.
However this hidden track is very incomplete. It will play for just under a minute before a glitch happens and the track stops before the 14th minute hits. Which means the track isn't actually a full 22 minutes. I'm not sure if the song ending abruptly was the band's intention but either way it is still very jarring.
I'm not going to give this album a score because honestly, even though I know the band is good at what they do, I can't bring myself to give it a proper rating because I'm not an expert on this particular genre. If a cross between thrash, crust and grindcore sounds like it would interest you, definitely give these guys a listen.
You can listen to Gravehuffer on most music streaming platforms. Make sure you show your support for the underground and keep it metal.