In our past writings about the music of the Canadian death metal band Insurrection we’ve emphasized the obliterating nature of their assaults, the titanic grooves in their music and the pneumatic punishment they mete out, the slithering derangement of their melodies, and the tyrannical barbarity of their vocals. On the off-chance that their previous four albums left some remnants of human civilization still standing, they’ve decided to release a fifth one.
The new album, Obsolescence, will be released on Friday the 13th of September via Bam & Co. Heavy, and what we have for you today is a single from the album called “Bless the Machine”, augmented by a guitar-playthrough video for the song.
L-R – Jay Cross – Drums, Martin Samson – Bass, Stef Jomphe – Vocals, Mike Birch – Guitar, Antonin Perras-Foisy – Guitar
Photo credit: Lisa Thompson and Darkmoon Studios
We begin our introduction with this comment from the band:
“This is the final part of “The New Uprising” trilogy. Musically, this song sounds like At the Gates playing Castlevania songs. Which you, the reader, will either completely understand, or be completely confused by. We’re fine with that. It’s fast, it’s melodic, and it’s just complicated enough so that every time you listen to it, you may find a tiny new thing.”
The band goes on to explain that, as the conclusion to that trilogy, the lyrics are a “prayer to the machine” to eliminate the “filthy human breed”. The song was inspired by reflections on the death penalty, although the trilogy itself is about a Robotic Uprising, which is a metaphor for the rise of political extremism in the world.
Now two decades into their career, Insurrection show no signs of softening, and after all, what has humanity done over the last 20 years to show itself more deserving of mercy?
This new single goes flat-out right from the start, launched by an extended, serrated-edge scream, rapidly thrusting grooves, and a blizzard of mechanistic yet maniacal riffing.
Intestinally deep gutturals proclaim their murderous prayer as the music occasionally seems to dismally moan and wail. The drums methodically chop, but while razor-sharp in their execution they also prove to be just as berserk as the fleet-fingered contortions of the fretwork. And yes, the song includes a head-spinning guitar solo that does sound like a refugee from Castlevania.
It’s a hell of a wild, adrenaline-fueled gallop, further fueled by doubled voices screaming, but the song also frequently does sound like malicious machines ecstatically stitching steel through blasted flesh and broken bones — and like the piteous agonies of their victims.
The playthrough video, which features the performances of guitarists Mike Birch and Antonin Perras-Foisy, is a hell of a lot of fun to watch, too. They certainly look human, but the technical skill of their delivery suggests there may be cyborg ancestry involved.
Insurrection‘s music comes recommended for those who enjoy Testament, Nevermore, and Bloodbath. For more info about the single and the forthcoming fifth album, keep an eye on the locations linked below.
PRE-ORDER:
https://boutique.boiteamusique.ca/en/448-insurrection
https://insurrectioncanada.bandcamp.com
FOLLOW INSURRECTION:
https://www.facebook.com/insurrectionmetal