Feral decided to begin the year 2022 into violence.

After a first album in 2016, the four-piece Crust/Grindcore band composed of members from Stuntman, Superstatic Revolution and Morgue introduce us to Spiritual Void, its second mischief, with Source Atone Records.

We begin with Solitude, a short weighing introduction which drops us without warning on Watchdogs. The sound is raw and straightforward, still allowing a place to the vocalist who screams upon us. The abrasive sound perfectly melts with screams, blast and this aggressive ambience, just like on Ghost Walker and its groovy and hooking parts. The few harmonics allow the band to get unleashed while offering heady elements, then Six Feet Of Dirt revives the machine with a rage guided by piercing leads. The rhythmic quickly follows with this simple and effective but quite dark melting, whereas Death Stranding comes next accompanied by this raw energy. Dissonant riffs slow down to offer a weighing sound before Dustbount, which stays into this aggressive dynamic with Old School influences, but the band will make it get appeased again on Eyes Painted On The Cross and its greasy Sludge roots. Grindcore’s howling riffs melt very well with the burdensome and haunting tones, which accelerate again with Real Wars and its motivating groove. The energy directly inspired by Hardcore Punk is communicative, and the band will probably unleash crowds with its moshparts, just like on The Great Reset, making chaos reign again inside of the riffs. The explosive and fast sound sometimes offers more accessible breaks, but we stay into abrasive and saturated sonorities for Cloud Chamber and its patterns which will make us forget the meaning of softness. Some jerks allow the band to catch its breath again before moving forward, then Pools Of Blood overtly strikes us while multiplying oppressive howlings and heavy riffs. The album ends with Isolation, an outro which cultivates the same anguish as on the first song, and which allows to get out of this dark ambience.

Feral knows how to play with violence, and the band proves us again with Spiritual Void. Far from any thought of softness, riffs are straightforward and very raw, picking into all the dirtiest and most devastating influences to feed this effective Grind/Crust.

80/100

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