Just when you thought UK death metal/sludge titans WarCrab’s sound was getting slower and sludgier, they do the expected and bring in death metal influences in a huge way. And it’s not even in the form of a thick, ponderous blend of the two styles; instead, they’ve shedded the extra weight that was holding them down and have progressed in a faster, crustier direction. They’re now effortlessly switching between the two predominant styles as and when the music demands it rather than having a monotonous and predictable sound. The music becomes especially exhilarating when they lay down fuzz-wrapped concrete slabs of riffs one after the other till it reaches a crescendo and then lighting cracks in the sky and all hell breaks loose and the music shapeshifts into a majestic death metal creature galloping to save us all. There are several other epitaphs glorifying their songwriting skills, some even revealing their emotional side which is something that they didn’t make too apparent before this, and coupled with the fact that they can do all of this and retain your attention for songs lasting for even as long as 10 minutes says a lot. This is WarCrab at the peak of their creative prowess. They are back and better than ever before.

For fans of: Bolt Thrower, Crowbar, Eyehategod, 71TonMan, The Dead