Warside has taken the plunge.
After eight years in the French Death Metal scene, the band comprising Jérôme Camus (bass), Vincent Morelle (guitar), Thômas Jarret (drums), and Mathieu Jarret (vocals) finally unveils its debut album, Cognitive Extinction, in collaboration with Gruesome Records.
The album opens with a sense of dread in Mindfracture, where overly calm sounds are joined by a sample, then by the violence of a Brutal Death style that is both Old School (such snare!) and modern in production, openly showcasing its brutality as well as its technicality, both in the frantic tempo and in certain highly polished sections. The track is fairly short, but it remains punishing, leading us after a rhythmic display toward the final explosion and then into Synaptic Decay, which wastes no time unleashing all its fury at a brisk pace, while taking the time to offer us a particularly melodic solo as the riffs rage on, before the vocalist resumes his relentless assault. Neurocide takes over and draws on the influences of the genre’s pioneers, proving once again that the band knows exactly what it’s doing, before returning to technicality on Invasive Thoughts, the next track where harmonics lacerate us almost constantly, daring once again with a solo followed by chaotic dissonance. A brief moment of calm with Synthetic Abyss, a composition that starts off unsettling but ultimately becomes very brutal, creating a welcome diversity within the omnipresent violence, particularly in the vocals, which oscillate between growls and morbid screams, before continuing with the aptly named Visceral, where the band once again picks up speed to unleash its riffs. The track goes down a treat, then the band indulges in some heavy influences for Thirst for Rot, where the solos surprise us before the ensuing avalanche happily assaults us, drawing on Thrash/Hardcore influences to amplify its aggression, then we wrap up with Cognitive Extinction, the final track where we’re once again hit square in the face with that heavy, massive sound that leans toward deathcore and throws in a little feint midway through, making us think there’s a break, but which ultimately picks up again with a more trippy approach, letting a vocal sample guide us to its conclusion.
While Warside knows exactly how to lead the charge with aggressively crafted riffs, the band can also surprise us with more intricate and dissonant touches. Either way, Cognitive Extinction will be a real springboard for them!
85/100