The multilayered masterpiece that is Deprecipice (MNRK Heavy) is lightyears away from anything else that has graced the brutal metallic sludge/Hardcore/Death Metal scene for quite some time. Leave it up to Mastiff to be the ones leading the charge.
Photo by Nick Sayers
The UK-based collective unequivocally leaves everything out in the open for the world to see and digest. It’s not pretty and that’s the point. Vocalist Jim Hodge explained the name of the album thusly: “[It] pretty much sums up where me and James [Lee Ross, guitarist/vocalist] were when we wrote it. We were both standing back on the edge of a depressive void.”
That notion is proven to the nth degree by not only the monochromatic, grayscale artwork (which sees a human figure front and center, free-falling from one hellish, unforgiving void into another, equally diabolical nothingness) but also by the rugged, pained, despondent production and cripplingly relatable screams and cries.
The self-explanatory “Everything Is Ending” is armed with choppy guitars and a gritty breakdown as the track ends in a booming, limping, droning conclusion. It’s the musical equivalent of the feeling one gets from returning home after working a 12-hour shift from sunrise to sunset.
Going even deeper into the annals of desolation, “Pitiful” declares with the kind of emotion reserved for one’s final words in the face of certain annihilation, “Fuck this world / let it burn.” And it’s followed by “The Shape”, an interesting interlude piece that becomes zanier as it progresses, demonstrating how one’s inner psyche can and often does become so erratic and discombobulated to seem entirely unrecognizable.
As such, the masterpiece mentioned earlier is also Mastiff’s ability to include such raw, evocative energy into ten tracks that also feature a smattering of some of the best, heaviest, most coarse arrangements heard.
It doesn’t take long because opener “Bite Radius” comes with a mighty fine serving of gnarly guitars-drums-screams in a spine-tingling sequence. Crunchy-as-hell tones spring forth a two-stepper bridge section.
“Skin Stripper” is hellaciously glorious Grindcore. Hefty chugs and a rampant pace is the name of the game here. And “Serrated” is only more electrifying and monstrous (bolstered by the guest appearance of firebrand Burner vocalist, Harry Nott. Truly a match made in heaven).
Considering Deprecipice came on the heels of Ross mourning the loss of his mother and Hodge dealing with the unimaginable struggle of losing his five-day-old-son Isaac in 2010, it’s equal parts unconscionable and brutally fitting that Mastiff has penned a flawless record.
The thunderous instrumentals, the vehement vocals, and the grim production throughout ensure this album has both listenability and staying power for many years to come.
And it’s also a prescient reminder that even in the darkest of dark times, there can still be something beautiful waiting on the other side, especially when that beauty isn’t immediately apparent.
Buy the album here:
https://mastiff.ffm.to/deprecipice
10 / 10
MATT COOK