I don’t know who ever thought death metal ever needed to be more brutal than it already was, but that man was a genius and an innovator. Imagine listening to Tomb of the Mutilated in 1991 and thinking “shit, I can go way harder than that”. This insane sense of competition among American metal musicians when it comes to stretching the boundaries of their sound gave us immortal pleasures like Skinless, Deeds of Flesh, Internal Bleeding and Brodequin, who you might’ve forgotten about. But guess what?
Brodequin is FUCKING BACK with a drummer who was one year old when they formed in 1998 and a first LP in twenty years Harbinger of Woe, from Season of Mist: Underground Activists.
Brutal death metal was much different before the explosion of slam in the late nineties, early two thousands. It was much faster, unrelenting and less centered around grooves. Harbinger of Woe is a powerful reminder of that. The opener Diabolical Edict makes a statement in that regard with crips, clean guitar riffs that cut through the thick production. I love how the band leans into the midtempo parts to give a more dramatic feel to the song. A lot of death metal acts pride themselves in how technical they are, but the guys in Brodequin understand how to deliver furiously for a greater emotional impact also. That is an underrated skill in death metal. Fuck that willy-willy shit. Make me feel dread and terror instead.
Fall of the Leaf is a shorter, even more dynamic song that alternates between complex, somewhat proggy riffs and big, satisfying chugs. It’s one of the most forward thinking song on the record that will totally please fans of technical death metal too. While I wouldn’t call Brodequin techy per se, they do love complex and unorthodox riffing structures to their songs. Theresiana features some Gregorian chants in the intro, which is a detail I loved. It ain't hard to do and it pleases Baphomet. Nothing says "fuck the inquisition" like perverting church stuff after all. It’s the only piece of atmosphere you’ll find on it, though. Otherwise, it’s a straightforward, hyperaggro brutal death metal song that fits into their fast-chug-fast philosophy. It’s gusty, guttural and as straight to the point as it gets.
The single of Pillars and Trees is one of the best and most furious songs on Harbinger of Woe. Seriously, that song fucking rules. Led by a muscular drumming performance by Brennan Shackleford, it features a doomier part and fun, soaring vocal acrobatics by Jamie Bailey. When I heard him shriek, I was like : "Why didn't you do this before, bro? Sounds fucking awesome". The riffs are simpler and more accessible than in the previous songs, without losing their forward thinking structure. Tenaillement is another fast-chug-fast affair, which Brodequin is really good at. It gets a little busy for my own taste given its 2:53 running time. It suffers a little bit from what I call creative ADHD. I’m less into techy stuff myself, but if you’re into precision and complexity, you’re definitely going to enjoy a song like Tenaillement.
Maleficium has some of the most fun riffs and vocal dynamics on the record. Did I get a whiff of Immolation-like dissonance too? Jamie Bailey shows his shrieking game on this one too, which he definitely should do more often. He's a great gurgler, but why not make full use of your skill set? It's 2024 bro, no one will gatekeep you if you don't put piano and r&b vocals in your songs. It really elevates the scope of the song when he does. Vii Nails is the shortest song on Harbinger of Woe at 2:18. It’s also one of the simplest songs on the record. Not much to say about this one except that I love Mike Bailey’s riffs. They have this Cannibal Corpse, early Corpsegrinder-era quality to them. They’re simpler, but powerful and they flow together well. Not the most memorable number on the record, but it’s a good song.
Brodequin hits you in the balls right after that with the apocalyptic Vredens Dag. It is perhaps the most brutal song on there, which features some great John Gallagher-like gurgles by Jamie Bailey. That guy has quite the range, but he barely uses it. Vredens Dag has a quite dramatic bridge and groovier, almost slam parts which I quite liked. However murky and raw they might get, you’ll always hear the notes in Brodequin riffs, though. It’s integral to their identity. They’re definitely not a caveman band. Suffocation in Ash suffers a little bit from following such a memorable song, but it’s one of these straight blasting affairs that gets the job done. Not all the songs on every record are immortal bangers and it’s fine. If you're at the show, it's your cue to hit the bar or the merch booth.
Harbinger of Woe ends with the title song and Brodequin definitely kept one of the best for last. The vocal performance by Jamie Bailey is absolutely fucking stellar. There are dissonant parts, which fit their sound admirably well. The band uses atmosphere-enhancing samples, which they should definitely do more often. The last minute of the record or so only features sampled voices, which brought another dimension to their music. Do that more often, Brodequin. Please.
I liked Harbinger of Woe. I didn’t expect an older band making a comeback like Brodequin to deviate from the formula, but they’re kinda great at it? All the experimental ideas on the record work well. They’re also quite shy at trying new things and they shouldn’t be. They got this old school, pre-slam brutal death metal sound down, but they’ve already explored all of possibilities and it shows on Harbinger of Woe. You kind of get the point before it's over. Would it have been a great record if it featured only eight songs? It might’ve, but I’m just glad to have Brodequin back. Harbinger of Woe is nostalgic trip for anyone who was into brutal death metal in the late nineties, early two thousands.
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