German death-core band Neaera are back with their third release of violent metal mayhem, titled Armamentarium. If you've yet to check out Neaera on either of their first two releases, now might be the time to do some investigating. Armamentarium should appeal to fans of Heaven Shall Burn, Caliban, and Fear My Thoughts, as the 12 songs presented here feature plenty of maniacal screams & growls, brutally heavy yet textured riffs, and jackhammer drum work. Despite the non-stop ferocity, expect lots of melody here, which seems to be something that the extreme metal acts from Germany take pride in these days. Take the kick-ass title track for instance, which is fueled by Benny Hilleke's crazed screams but contains some irrestible tremelo picked guitar riffs from the team of Tobias Buck & Stefan Keller that simply ring, crush, and pummel all at the same time. The band almost channels a groovy Entombed sort of feel on "Harbringer", and the furious 7-minute epic "Liberation" is a dramatic piece of extreme metal that effectively balances deep growls with harsh high pitched screams, and blends in plenty of dark atmosphere among the brutal sections. Listen carefully to drummer Sebastian Heldt on this one, as he plays like a man possessed, but adds in plenty of colors and textures. The final track "The Cleansing Void" sees the CD's first appearance of clean vocals, which eventually give way to more frantic screams and blistering thrash riffs. It's the most commercial song on the album, and frankly I'd like to hear a bit more in this style in the future.
Armamentarium is a very solid release from Neaera that has a lot to offer. Sure, it's not the most original sounding release you will hear this year, and some of the songs tend to sound too much alike, but there's no denying the power and conviction that this band displays. Solid, and recommended.
Track Listing
1. Spearheading The Spawn
2. Tools Of Greed
3. Armamentarium
4. Synergy
5. Harbinger
6. In Loss
7. The Orphaning
8. The Escape From Escapism
9. Mutiny Of Untamed Minds
10. The Need For Pain
11. Liberation
12. The Cleansing Void
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