Grindcore is having a moment. Once regarded as a purgatory for the stinkiest, most disorganized and belligerent punks, it has become a hub for metal creativity over the last seven years or so through the emergence of bands like Full of Hell, Knoll and Bandit. Not to mention the pioneering work of Anaal Nathrakh, who were the first, to my knowledge, to figure out that grindcore had infinite potential for creating hybrid sounds. Quebec City’s Apes is a part of that movement and their new record Penitence is a step forward in their own fractal evolution.
Penitence features eight songs ranging from two and a half to three and a half minutes long, highlighting the discipline of Apes’ new auditory assault. It's blazing into one precise direction. The opener Coffin is a pummeling blend of grindcore and black metal juggling bouncy riffs, tremolo picking, blast beats and a versatile vocal performance by frontman Alexander Goulet. There’s a lot going on, but it never feels overbearing of showoffy. The many pieces of that song are dynamic and all fit together. Goulet unleashes such a skin crawling shriek about 1:30 in. I never heard something quite like this. He sounds like a zombie caught in a bear trap.
The follow up The Great Fire is another enthralling shapeshifter that embraces both parts of Apes’ identity with gusto and defiance. It’s the grimmest grindcore and the chuggiest black metal at the same time and it works. I know it sounds gimmicky on paper, but I swear to you guys it isn’t. I think the key is how graceful the transitions between the segments are. I love how Apes used dissonance in The Great Fire to enhance atmosphere and make these transitions between genres as bleak as they are fluid. It’s a multifaceted song, but feels less crowded and more cohesive than Coffin.
Shadow Walker is a more black metal oriented song where Alexandre Goulet’s unnerving fucking shrieks will cause you nightmares. Seriously, I don’t know how to explain them. You have to hear that bone chilling sound for yourself. It’s as if Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse caught his dick in his zipper at the urinal. It’s super primal and wrong at the same time and there's a lot of pain in them. The transitions between grindcore riffs and tremolo picking is supported here by an amphibious drumming performance from Gabriel D’Amours who absolutely towers over this song. He’s not fitting into any drumming style that I know, but his presence on this song is powerful and undeniable.
For those who might believe Apes is copying Anaal Nathrakh from this review, I assure you they couldn’t sound anymore different. There’s no clean singing for once. Also, they’re a grindcore band incorporating black metal elements to their music and not the opposite, so their sound is rooted in aggressive, power chord-heavy grooves. They only transition into black metal mode when they can make the most of the eerie, uneasy feeling the genre can evoke.
Closure is one of the grimmest and chaotic songs on Penitence. There was a little bit of powerviolence in there. It’s barely over a minute and a half with a minute-long sample of a nice Eastern European man talking about the harmony of collective murder. Apes have three guitarists, so I’m never really sure who to compliment when I like what I’m hearing, but I love how they play off each other here. You’re all awesome, guys. Echoes opens up on another weird, but enticing drumming performance by Gabriel D’Amours and more blood-curling screams. Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about these vocals. Once again I’m not sure who’s doing the back vocals (it’s not listed), but it creates a richness to Apes’ atmosphere that few other bands that aren’t labeled “atmospheric” can brag to have.
Apes’ simple, but effective formula continues on Bottom Feeder, a track that shines through its brutal tempo shifts. It’s both powerful and suffocating at the same time. I had visions of drowning in a raging river while listening to it. Also, nice breakdown at the end? It’s been such a maligned practice in more extreme circles that it felt nice to hear one at the end of such an unrelenting song and not feeling tacky or forced. I loved the use of slower tempos and lengthier guitar chords in the title song. It gave an otherworldly atmosphere and a stronger identity to a song that very much goes in the same direction than everything else on that record.
Penitence ends with Pillars, the lengthiest song on the record at a mere 3:39. It features the oddest, most challenging guitar performance on the record. It has so many ideas going on. It felt almost shoegazy at times with the reverb and hints of melody amidst the ongoing chaos. It was my favorite song on the record along with The Great Fire. Apes sacrifice nothing. They do not make compromises even if their sound isn’t “pure” so to say. They are their own entity.
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Although Apes are part of this new wave of grindcore talent, what I like best about them is that they have such a unique and powerful identity. There’s a clarity and a purpose to their sound. A blend of old and new school that is entirely theirs. Penitence is a brutal and disquieting listen. Apes’ nastiness is infectious. They should get more love than they have received so far and it starts now. Get yourself some of Penitence and forever hear Alexandre Goulet’s weird, unnerving half-tone shrieks in your fucking nightmares.
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