Release Date: 10th January 2024. Record Label: Trepanation Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl
The Scythe Is Remorseful - Tracklisting
1.TRIUMPHANT
2.MOUTHS LIKE OPEN GRAVES
3.THE SCYTHE IS REMORSELESS
4.LUST FOR CRUST
5.RED MIST
6.TO THE MASSES
7.DOOM
Review
The Scythe Is Remorseless is the second full album from Sludge/Grind/Crust/Doom/Death Metallers Yersin and it’s quite a brutally aware assault on the senses with Yersin playing a pummelling blend of Psychedelic sounds and bone-crunching Death grooves. The music is aggressive and violently pissed off from the start with Yersin playing a no-holds barred style of Grindcore/Sludge Metal fused with Death/Doom Metal imagery with that classic Blackened Crust flavour showing small elements of Hardcore Punk.
Yersin are from Sunderland located in the North East Of England which is quite close to my hometown of Newcastle Upon Tyne. I’ve known about Yersin for quite some time and I was a fan of their 2020 debut release but The Scythe Is Remorseless is on another level. As Yersin play fast and loose with the rules of Extreme Metal and start playing their blend of highly original Grindcore grooves with that powerfully potent Doom/Sludge Metal element being heard on the early stages of the album on tracks such as: Triumphant, Mouths Like Open Graves and The Scythe Is Remorseless.
The music can be quite hard to adapt at first with the ferocious anger coming from Yersin which sees the band being influenced by heavy hitters such as Napalm Death, Fuck The Fact, THOU and Agoraphobic Nosebleed whilst offering some subtle flashes of delivering subtle and menacing moments of Doom/Sludge Metal riffs amongst the Death/Crust/Grind carnage that Yersin mostly create and play with demonic relish throughout the album.
The instrumental work is nothing short of breathtaking in places especially with massive amounts of thrash beats and grindcore blast beasts. Usually I struggle with Grindcore vocals the best of times but I have to say I fully understood lead vocalist Chris' outstanding vocals. Even when they moved into more extreme levels of harsh grunts and growls. The lyrics came perfectly clear to myself and I do struggle with vocals from the Extreme Metal world.
Yersin plays some of the filthiest, heaviest and brutal EXTREME guitar sounds I’ve heard quite some time especially on tracks such as The Scythe Is Remorseless, Lust For Crust and Doom. The album is quite brisk running under twenty five minutes in length but that’s part of the course for an album such as this. Yersin doesn't waste a second in playing an album that will no doubt cater more to the masses of the Extreme Metal Underground scene than the normal Doom/Sludge Metal crowd I normally cater for.
However, it’s always good every now and then to leave your comfort zone and experience something that leaves you uncomfortable which is what The Scythe Is Remorseless. Yersin delve into the darkest depths of the Extreme Heavy Metal scene with elements of 1980’s Black Metal and 1990’s Grindcore allowing the record to transform into something unexpected and that’s an intelligent release that oozes violent charm and charisma throughout.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Yersin for the promo.
The Scythe Is Remorseless will be available to buy on CD/DD/Cassette/Vinyl via Trepanation Recordings from January 10th 2024.
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