I love Imperative’s press releases, “Beneath burnt orange skies, swamped with thick, grey clouds that move sluggishly across the firmament, propelled by the tired, breathless winds, the remnants of a race crawl amongst the irradiated filth. Against a backdrop of ruin, they eke out a pale imitation of existence, a tiny pocket of broken life in a global landscape of perfect death. They are the last whispered words of humanity, a mockery of pride and assertions of supremacy. The final chapter in a grand story of drama and endeavour that was always doomed to end in complete and utter abject failure…”. I mean, why should I bother writing anything about the music when one can just put that into the review? It feels like my work here is done.

However, although those words are compelling, they actually don’t tell the full story of this the third album from Glasgow-based Death Metal act Scordatura. Daryl Boyce (vocals), Owen McKendrick (guitar) and Tam Moran (drums) have been there since the beginning in 2007, while bassist Derek Wright joined in time for their second album, 2017’s ‘Self-Created Abyss’, and one can tell that these guys have been together for a while as this is wonderfully tight and powerful. While an obvious influence is Cannibal Corpse, these guys only have one guitarist which makes one wonder what they are like onstage. However, one of the delights of this album is the way that at times the bass will be given a bar of its own, while the drums may also have a short spell in the spotlight. They also throw breaks into the music, and this all adds to a very dynamic and exciting approach. They verge on the cusp of melodic death metal, yet also throw in items like a news clip of Jeffrey Dahmer, just to show they are not softening up just yet. As well as using volume and intensity to provide dynamics, they also use different time signatures, which show great contrast so that the album is always more than just a wall of sound. If they keep producing music like this, then surely it can only be a matter of time before they break out into the big league. Metalheads should seek this one out.

Rating: 9/10

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Scordaturaofficial
https://gorehouseproductions.com/