Saturday 4 April 2020

BEGGAR - Compelled To Repeat (Album Review)


Release date: April 3rd 2020. Label: APF Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Compelled To Repeat – Tracklisting

1.Blood Moon 04:32
2.Anaesthete 04:04
3.The Cadaver Speaks 03:12
4.Black Cloud 05:18
5.Trepanned Head Stares At The Sun 03:30
6.Custody Of The Eyes 00:24
7.Tenantless The Graves 04:36
8.Matryoshka Brain 04:25
9.Compelled To Repeat 05:23

Members

C.M. Davis - vox / bass
A. I. Whitworth - guitar
J.W. Leyland - guitar / backing vox
B.M.S. Sautier - drums

Review

Compelled To Repeat is the new album from UK Sludge/Doom Metal sluggers – BEGGAR – and it’s perhaps one of the heaviest and bleakest albums I’ve heard this year. BEGGAR create a powerful slab of Doom and Sludge Metal with a dark and bleak mentality to it all. This album isn’t afraid to shy away from life’s harsh realities and that’s down to the bleak lyrics the band have written for this album and the harsh vocals from C.M. Davis.

Though BEGGAR do show a lot of groove mentality within their music that allows the band to play some epic riffs throughout the album and adapt a more Post-Metallic feel to their music. The music is always constantly evolving and shows the band have a fine creative grasp on this album.

Opening song – Blood Moon – sees the band play an interesting mix of Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, Progressive Metal and Atmospheric Post-Metal for a more rounded sound. The band have a more Death/Thrash based approach on their music but they’re not afraid to play a more refined style of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. The bleak lyrics and violent growls are consistently violent throughout this album and this song does a fine job on what to expect for the rest of the album.

Second song – Anaesthete – is another chance for BEGGAR to play their bombastic style of Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal but with a stirring social conscience to it all. The song does have a cool Post-Apocalyptic feel to it but it’s the use of Groove Metal and Heavy Metal that really stands out as I didn’t expect the different styles of music that the band employ for this album and especially this song. The harsh Psychedelic sounds give a more primal feel to the album.

BEGGAR continue to impress even further on songs such as: The Cadaver Speaks, Black Cloud, Tenantless The Graves and the standout title track of Compelled To Repeat. These are perhaps the best part of the album where BEGGAR impress with impressive bleak sounds and epic grooves that show what a force of nature the band can actually be.

BEGGAR remind me of GOJIRA in many ways. Especially how the band use different musical genres to get their hard-hitting social message across though they add the legendary swagger of IRON MONKEY to their music and that makes up for a very powerful combination.

My final thoughts on Compelled To Repeat is that BEGGAR have released a challenging and quite complex album but one that is a thrilling and action-packed listen that pushes the boundaries of Sludge Metal into a more exciting style of Extreme Metal.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lisa at Hold Tight PR for the promo. Compelled To Repeat is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via APF Records.

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