By Squiggly Meyers
Alright music lovers, our next featured victim, I mean artist, comes from the Mid-West in the US. Making their home base in Joplin, Missouri and formed in 2008, Gravehuffer came together to express their vision of Metal. Drawing from their peers and those who came before them, they manage to put their souls into a meat grinder and bring out the best each member has to offer.
Musically, to this listeners ears, I’m brought back to the early eighties when metal was just beginning to find it’s voice. Within Gravehuffer, I can see the beginnings of Hardcore and Grindcore with hints of early Thrash and Punk for taste. Paying homage to metal giants such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Napalm Death, Gravehuffer walks the hallowed halls of metal and forges on to the future. Their latest album, “Depart From So Much Evil” is a fresh victim on metal’s sacrificial slab and makes a worthy sacrifice to the metal gods. From beginning to end it delivers an outstanding performance.
With McKenzie’s wraith-like vocal delivery in every word, you can feel him pouring out his very soul. Then the brutality of music brought by instrumentalists Randall on guitar, Morrison on drums, and Jilge on bass, consistently adding to the atomic weight of the album. You couldn’t ask for anything more. The production of this album is on point as well. Giving us more then meets the eye with unexpected sonic surprises a la Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and RUSH. This gave me a rush of pure pleasure, as it gave the album an urgency of anticipation, not knowing what to expect next.
It’s this kind of musical construction that brings in the listener and gets them hooked for life. I give Gravehuffer a score of 5 out of 5 for spontaneity and creativity. This album stands toe to toe with it’s peers and should be heralded as a masterpiece among the metal giants. This, in my humble opinion, cements Gravehuffer as metal deities among mortals.
Check out our interview with Gravehuffer here!