Maul kicks some serious ass. I have no clue at this point how many times I have seen them, but it’s several. I am also going to see them soon in a few days. They’re an unrelenting force on record, as well as live. Seraphic Punishment, their debut, found a lot of love in metal circles, so there are high expectations for album #2.

Where else to begin than with the opener, which is also the title track. Maul embraced a doomy side with the background melodies with Garrett’s blast furnace vocals accompanying. It’s not long before a galloping riff takes over. There’s a breakdown, but the best part is after it with an instantly hummable, yet anvil-smashing slow riff.

Perhaps even better than the opener is the next track, “Blood Quantum.” It’s filled with solos, cavernous vocals, and so much heaviness it could be mistaken for the Golden Corral buffet line. Right before the two-minute mark is probably the heaviest with the stops and starts. The vocals here could rival John McEntee.

Considering I have Maul merch with the “Midwest Death” phrase, let’s talk about the longest track on the album. The band of course has some churning riffs, but goes quiet around two minutes in, with only a clean guitar and spoken word vocals. Of course, when the other instruments come back, it’s made heavier because of that brief interlude. It’s a microcosm of the whole band’s aesthetic and sound, don’tcha know?

Ope, I probably could have done better with that last line, so let’s correct it by talking about “Each Voracious Lick.” Of what, I am unsure. I’m almost always going to comment on a great heavy riff that includes pinch harmonics. I also enjoy when a song breaks down, not a “breakdown,” mind you, but when a song has no guitars, but only bass, drums, and vocals, which happens in one section. While this track is heavy enough to bore you a new butthole, it’s short and leads well into the final track.

That final number is called “Drawn to Drowning.” It’s not experimental, it’s not ambient, but another heavy, bouncy track. The chunky riff, once again with pinch harmonics is just the epilogue to the story of excellent riffs. After the lead, the last thirty seconds are just another beatdown, and it’s the kind to which you’ll likely find yourself returning willingly.

I want to apologize for the lateness of this review, but I feel it had to get out there in the world. Between the season changing in my neck of the woods to fall (it kicks my ass at first), and having a full-on mental breakdown, it just fell off my radar. However, that was not for a lack of words or thoughts to describe this burly, hulking, beast of an album. Maul delivered again and damn it, it’s tied for #1 as well on my recent death metal reviews list.

 

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