Album Review: This Is Endless - Formations Of A World Below
Reviewed by Carl Black
Riff after riff after riff. They come at you from all angles on the 'Formation of a World Below' by This Is Endless. Eight of the nine tracks (one being an instrumental/intro type tune) stave your head in with a red hot poker and then pound your brain continually with their bare hands until all that’s left is a bloody mess on the floor. Its unrelenting, ruthless, versatile and performed with precision that would make a Swiss Master watch makers hand tremble.
The influences are drawn from the four aggressive corners of the metal world, death, hardcore, grindcore and thrash. The guitar riffs are massive and many have that high squeal followed by down tuned chugging that early Morbid Angel fans romance about. They smash out slow beat downs, cue the collection of flying ninjas in the pit. , They have fast power riffs and slower power riffs . Like I said its relentless. And it keeps coming too. The singing has deep guttural verses, higher death screaming and hardcore shouting/singing.
I said they were versatile. The rhythm section create a large foundation which the other members can build upon and it's as solid as granite. Full of blast beats and tight riffage whilst adding groove throughout this album. James Perry on the drums has put in another superb performance. That’s James Perry two, every other drummer in metal in 2020, nil. I’m convinced he’s got mallets for hands and sledge hammers for feet.
This is Endless cover a lot of ground. They would find a happy home on a Slipknot or Machine Head bill just as much as a hardcore all dayer in Tottenham, just as they would Incineration Festival in Camden. Nails had this type of music in the palm of their hand, but have dropped the ball for one reason or another. This is Endless have picked it up and have started running with it. It's time they went ahead and crowned themselves as new kings.
'Formation of a World Below' is released on Endless Records on August 14th.
