A great philosopher of our age often posits a question. It may be a rhetorical question, but one that every fan of heavy music finds themselves asking every day. It is not a question of faith, nor meant to invoke an existential crisis, but one far more important and intrinsic to the makeup of Heavy Metal. “Do you want heavy?”. Well, if the answer is yes – as it always should be – then look no further than Enterprise Earth.
An air raid siren-like guitar wails into the abyss before a syncopated, monolithic band batter their way into the sonic landscape. ‘Behold, Malevolence’ is an ominous, lurching, monstrous track that is unforgiving in its assault. Come the breakdown that sees the song’s end, skulls will be roundly pulverised and the remnants crushed into dust. This pretty much sets the tone for the record as a whole; terrifying and unrelenting.
Vocally the dexterity on display is astonishing. Former Infant Annihilator vocalist, Dan Watson, grunts, squeals and screams his way through the album with masterful precision and flair. The flourishes of unrestrained anger that worm their way into the listeners’ ears are glorious and feel like Watson’s necessary catharsis. His ability to jump from a pig squeal to a rasp to a roar is awe-inspiring; an Extreme Metal performance of the highest order.
Musically the album is not multifaceted, but it does dip its toes into the waters of alternative musicality. ‘Scars Of The Past’ doesn’t solely trade on brutality through breakdowns, but a more Thrash inspired pace that is the auditory equivalent of being flayed alive. The album’s title track begins with an acoustic guitar accompanied by a string section and brings a modicum of class to proceedings. It doesn’t have a hold over the way the song unfolds, but it does provide a necessary breather in amidst the chaos.
Finale and relative epic, ‘There Is No Tomorrow’, is tuned so low and has mechanically precise syncopation of guitars and drums that it strays into Djent territories at times. The harmonised solo is reminiscent of the work of Killswitch Engage, and the vastness and open playing in the bridges allows for the song to transcend its bestial bonds and become something greater. It is without a doubt the highlight of the album.
Luciferous (eOne) is a wonderful sophomore effort. Musically it is deftly played and well crafted, with songs that flow naturally into one another despite a chaotic surface level. Vocalist, Dan Watson, gives a masterful performance and stands out against the virtuosic band behind him. There is little by way of sonic exploration save for the finale, but really this doesn’t matter as the album is so finely tuned and lean that what the listener does get is a cohesive, unrelenting beast. If ‘There Is No Tomorrow’ is the blueprint the band follows going forward, there are exceedingly great things ahead.
8 / 10
SAM SAVIGNY