Style: Technical/Avant-garde Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: Australia
Release date: December 4, 2020
There’s something in the water in Australia. Growth are the latest in a slew of incredibly talented and distinguishable progressive and metal bands from down under. Their debut album is as ambitious as it is crushing. Based around the condition of mental illness, The Smothering Arms of Mercy is delivered through the medium of dissonant technical death metal akin to Ulcerate or Gorguts. It’s difficult not to overuse the word ‘chaotic’ to describe this record, because that’s ultimately what it is. Each track jumps between angular distorted riffs, mammoth grooves, and relentless blast beats without warning, much like one might expect the stream of consciousness of an individual in the throes of mental illness to behave.
Narratively, the album is the ordered reflections of a person descending into spiritual collapse while in psychiatric care. This is a sensitive but unquestionably important subject that, thankfully, isn’t romanticized here like a monster in a horror movie. The three members of Growth approach the subject with notable consideration as, written clearly in the band’s bio, each has had mental health struggles in the past. The passion and pain is palpable both in the lyrics and the music. The protagonist reflects on the fragility of the human psyche and yearns for ‘abyssic relief’. There are moments of clarity and realization among the dark and distressing ramblings but they inevitably revert back into dissonant bedlam. The story is made all the more tragic by the seemingly ambiguous ending that doesn’t reveal any kind of fate, merciful or otherwise. However, this is supposedly the first in a wider trilogy of albums that aim to illustrate pathways of recovery. Did I mention these guys were ambitious?
The instrumentation on Mercy is surgically precise despite how heavy it is. It’s Gojira-tier inertia that turns on a dime with Car Bomb levels of trickery, pick scrapes and pinch harmonics and all. From what I can tell, the added effects and flourishes are impressively natural and not post-production add-ons. Each track has an abundance of examples of technically astounding riffs, but what is more impressive is how each can mutate into a slower groove, or a chanting or humming section without seeming completely tangential. There are some tracks that have a main riff that is revisited like in “The Treatment for Melancholy”, but these are the exceptions. The tracks are mostly linear in how they begin in one place and end in another, which drives the narrative on with purpose. Despite the near-constant aggression from the beginning in “Cigarette Burns”, the album still seems to build up to the final – and strongest – three tracks. It’s often bold to save the best for last, but then, nothing from this band comes in half-measures.
Luke Frizon, previously of mathcore outfit Jack The Stripper, brings back all of the aggression but drops the ‘-core’ motifs in favour of more suitable and mature harsh vocals dripping with anguish. There is, thankfully, a fair amount of variation in his tone, which could otherwise become exhausting for an already sonically and emotionally taxing record. There are harmonised chanting sections that sound almost like Baroness or Slugdge cleans that also bring some needed respite amidst the mayhem. The low end from the bass is given well deserved attention in the mix, giving the album a huge, well rounded sound that delivers a surprising amount of clarity in the context of so much noise.
I was taken aback by how good this album is. It can be a tough listen, and it was demanding to review. However, I interpret that as a testament to the weight of subject matter piercing through the din and therefore the effectiveness of the songwriting. This one gets a 9 because I don’t think this is all Growth has to offer.
Recommended tracks: Soul Rot, Something Follows, Gird Your Loved In Armour While Yet You Wither (in that order)
Recommended for fans of: Ulcerate, Gorguts, Car Bomb
Final verdict: 9/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Wild Thing Records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Growth is:
– Tristan Barnes (bass, guitars)
– Nelson Barnes (Drums)
– Luke Frizon (Vocals)
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