Album Review: Last Retch - Abject Cruelty
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Last Retch are a recent discovery, following the announcement of this latest record. Curiously it was cover artist Brad Moore showcasing his work for Abject Cruelty that got me switched on to them. Formed in 2021 out of Ontario, Canada, the band had their first self-titled Demo out before the year’s end yet we didn’t need to wait long for their first full length, Sadism And Severed Heads, just a year later. The interim period otherwise saw a new EP and some Singles, but finally Last Retch return through Time To Kill Records to unleash their second album, the aforementioned Abject Cruelty. Slated for a September 28th release date and sporting Brad Moore’s instantly recognisable style, Last Retch promise to unleash something darker, heavier, as the initial Single already points towards more hellish and unrepentant territory.
If we look back to their first record we can see Last Retch have absolutely juiced up the bass throughout Abject Cruelty. Last Retch had considerable power all along but this record sees that might cranked to eleven, striving for greater depths than ever, bringing a crushing sensation totally new to their soundscape. It therefore aids the album becoming this monster you want to crank to the very maximum volume just to see how wild things get. But the bass and the production work hand in hand by giving each component of the band’s sound greater presence; when the bass drums kick in its instantly attention-grabbing, the riffs harness this chunky but smooth exterior that allows them to hit hard yet develop without it coming across as resistant. On the whole Abject Cruelty will quickly appeal to those who may have been hoping for an extra strike to Last Retch’s death metal; everything feels leaner and meaner.
What I thoroughly appreciated about Last Retch, which they’ve brought over to this album too, is the runtime. Abject Cruelty doesn’t surpass thirty minutes. It gets going, doesn’t waste time explaining itself, entertains, then dips. This makes it ideal for repeatable listens or if you’re after that quick fix before cracking on with a major part of your day, because you know you can get an hour’s worth of material and quality compacted into something half that time. Though there are plenty of tracks to choose from should you wish to shuffle the album’s track listing about, you’ll always land on something you’ll want to come back to. Their songwriting clearly works best when they’re straight to the point; the capacity for more nuanced songwriting is there but Last Retch gets you on board rapidly and know how to keep you there. Some may think the band don’t go to all that many different places after a song begins, however Last Retch clearly understand how to write and manoeuvre within their established box. Where some see borders, others see depth. It's merely perspective.
Though the band have opted for a strongly more crushing soundscape this time it's great to note they haven’t sacrificed the conveyance of riffs for it. The band hold your attention through a deeper bass tone and tempo, upon climbing, compelling us to throw all semblance of civility away. But even then the guitar work isn’t sacrificed; the band could throw the murkiest, most brutal sections of their record at you and even the smallest riff segments will find their way to you without difficulty. It helps that, within the mix, the guitar work is on a different level than the bass or drums; this method of not streamlining everything togethers gives everyone on record their due and we have an equal chance of appreciating everything individually just as much the collective assault. It must be tempting for death metal bands today to simply throw everything into a mixing cauldron, call it a day, knowing another chunk of sweeping, cavernous music is done. But we’ve seen how this ails a record, for too much power weakens the overall impact. By playing it smart through the mix, Last Retch make it easier for us to pinpoint the riffs or vocals, which have in turn been boosted by the production to give them particular presence. Abject Cruelty therefore becomes a creature you can’t tear your eyes from.
Its also interesting that Last Retch manage to pull everything off with songwriting that hardly attempts to speed up. There are notable instances now and again where their tempo does spike and these are certainly the band’s most aggressive sequences, but even then you’ll find the guitar work itself doesn’t try and keep up throughout these more intense periods. Last Retch continue their approach of steady songwriting that keeps you enthralled to the very end, with riffs that are ever at your side. Therefore each track becomes increasingly memorable since they won’t try and lap you, instead giving you every chance to listen and enjoy what’s happening so you can come away and know without a doubt that that was a great record in the moment, as opposed to an hour later after the whirlwind has finally surpassed. That clarity allows you to hone in on even the smallest sections, noting how this or that riff isn’t featured elsewhere on record thus lending greater importance to what you’re experiencing in the moment. This is why Last Retch’s rolling momentum, like a train coming from afar, feels so powerful because it doesn’t need to slam you right in the face for you to feel the earth shake. Abject Cruelty understands the importance of pulling back, giving you that needed space to process everything it has to offer.
In conclusion, Last Retch come out swinging with their second album. Personally I feel its absolutely an improvement over their debut as whilst little has changed in the way of how they write death metal, the general execution of that death metal feels more realised, tighter, closer to the vision they have for their band. As mentioned this is a record you could throw on shuffle, land on any track, and have a great time regardless what direction the record takes you in. I can already see some people say the band could have done far more or include some more developed pieces of songwriting, but then that wouldn’t be Last Retch, who have demonstrated they’re perfectly happy in crafting these steadier, crunching pieces. Speed is not their forte for with this tone, the fist they use to drive their power forth would be severely curtailed and you wouldn’t feel each knuckle indenting your jugular. I hope we receive more music from Last Retch in this vein, perhaps with one or two longer tracks, if only to see what these guys have in them for such developed songwriting. These guys are only a recent find but Abject Cruelty roars, gnashing teeth, and under half an hour too. You can’t go wrong with that.
