You either love Beatdown Death Metal and all its violence-even-though-it’s-carefully-controlled live atmosphere, or you think it’s a bunch of amped-up spinkickers with no respect for their surroundings.

Regardless where you fall on the spectrum, it seems to be here to stay, and Open Kasket have done their part with Trials Of Failure (Barbaric Brutality Records), a cutting dose of remarkable production value coupled with acerbic vocal machinations.

Fittingly, one of the best up-and-coming acts of the genre (if they haven’t claimed that spot already), Terminal Nation guest on “Infernal Threat” to imbue their own delectable version that has brought them such praise over the years.

Right from the jump, it’s clear Trials Of Fire is more than a throw-shit-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks effort. “Ersatz (Sine Die)” comes out swinging with cheese-grater vocals mixed with brawn and confidence. The drums are sparkly crisp and the guitars complement that finesse with punchy, robust tones.

“No Value” sells itself short because the grindy, whiney introduction leads into a certified slugfest. There’s also a laborious and dense riff sequence nestled in between before the track bellows back to life.

There is a zany, melting bridge sequence on the aforementioned “Infernal Threat” and there are added “bleghs” and Deathcore swipes added in for good measure. 

Finally, the strong interplay of gruff and harsh vocals in a call-and-repeat moment on “Bruised Sprainstein” (get it?) only adds to the bombastic nature that is Open Kasket.

Even with ten songs and three featured spots, Trials Of Failure excels at keeping things sounding fresh and honest. There isn’t a whole lot of fat left on the bones (something other acts from this subgenre are guilty of doing), which guarantees the listener is getting exactly what they deserve: a swift kick to the jaw.

Buy the album here:
https://openkasket.bandcamp.com/album/trials-of-failure

8 / 10
MATT COOK