Empress/Abscess

The Chicago death and black metal band Immortal Bird made some noise two years back with their EP Akrasia, showcasing that they knew a thing or two about ferocious, extreme metal. Empress/Abscess is the first full-length debut by the band, and though it may seem like a short ride, they haven’t forgotten to pull their listeners through a pit of anger and fury with their death and crusty blackened metal. Guitars open up the album in Neoplastic with a disturbing and menacing sound. It quickly becomes more thrash punk as it progresses forward, but boasts with heaviness. The song becomes a bit more mechanical sounding towards the end; feeling like it could be pulled from a Meshuggah album due to is nature. The following track Saprophyte begins a bit more calm and creepy with its guitar leads, but the rhythm follows a more rumbling feel. This track is simply rich in neck breaking riffs that doesn’t let or leave any room for being soft. To A Watery Grave takes the album to more violently driven heights once again, but this time shows a calmer side to the band which was a surprise after being driven through all the chaos up to this point. Though the song still is an angry monster throughout, there is a moment where soft keyboards appear, fitting seamlessly into the track, sounding beautiful yet melancholic. Empress/Abscess seems to be a hidden gem for me in 2015. Immortal Bird drags you through a pit of despair and chaos but even though short, it’s worth retaking the ride through this angry and belligerent album more than just once.