Maximize your minutes.

That’s what Concrete Caveman have done. 

In just over ten minutes, War Behind Glass (Strange Mono Records) is an EP that accentuates a contrast between two vocalists and it also packs the stiffest punch this side of peak Mike Tyson. 

The band describes their sound as “heavy and harsh vibrations fueled by evil; an angry amalgamation of Thrash, Hardcore Punk, Death Metal and Doom.” It’s fine if that description doesn’t get your juices flowing (I guess). But it shouldn’t take more than five seconds to be sold.

“Neanderthal With A Gun” runs on stanky riffing and tin-can drums. Diabolical harsh vocals are fetid and corpulent. The balancing act of party Thrash shouts and gutturals coupled with blustery production throughout is quite the stage setter for the EP.

Luckily for us, “Doused In Gasoline [Irony Poisoned]” flirts with Grindcore-adjacent patterns. Soup-mouthed harshes envelop the track with a fervor that is an excellent sidekick for those days that seem like the universe is doing everything it can to make your life miserable.

The shreddy dose of frantic chaos that is “Hijacked Neural Pathways Held For Ransom” could in all likelihood motivate a sloth to run a full marathon. And the closing track is a serviceable cardio companion; the percussion especially gets its last bits in before the shortplayer concludes in a cacophony of crashing clusters. 

Overall, there’s a cheeky play on the caveman aesthetic that has been prevalent throughout Death Metal and adjacent subgenres. However, it’s really only the foundation as opposed to a crutch for this outfit. 

It’s the basis that allows Concrete Caveman to spend ten minutes turning faces into spaghetti and bones into quinoa. 

Buy the album here:
https://strangemono.bandcamp.com/album/war-behind-glass

8 / 10
MATT COOK