Baltimore grind outfit Noisem created waves of hype when they emerged on the death metal scene as teenagers with their debut record, Agony Defined, but after a few years of basking in glory, they seemed to almost disappear. After some changes dropped their lineup from five members to three, the band have further tightened their sound and come back better than before with their latest album, Cease to Exist.
The record's unrelenting pace simply doesn't allow time for filler material. In a short and easy 20 minutes, the band tear through fast-paced grind and punk-leaning thrash riffs with a hint of crust and black metal laced throughout. The band mix things up a bit on this record though, with elements of crossover thrash throughout, such as the downtempo jam on "Eyes Pried Open" or the breakdown in "Sensory Overload."
The band are at their best though when they take '80s thrash and old-school death metal and slam the two together. Frenetic soloing, blasting drums and throat-shredding vocals all come through perfectly on tracks like "Constricted Cognition" or "Penance for the Solipsist." The band also manage to do a great job of building tension during moments of the album, particularly with the ominous slow build on "Ode to Absolution."
Although Noisem drifted off the metal scene's radar for a few years, Cease to Exist should bring them right back to where they were before. The record acts as a solid reminder of why they became an instant hit with extreme metal fans just a few years ago and will hopefully not be the last we hear from them for a while.
(20 Buck Spin)The record's unrelenting pace simply doesn't allow time for filler material. In a short and easy 20 minutes, the band tear through fast-paced grind and punk-leaning thrash riffs with a hint of crust and black metal laced throughout. The band mix things up a bit on this record though, with elements of crossover thrash throughout, such as the downtempo jam on "Eyes Pried Open" or the breakdown in "Sensory Overload."
The band are at their best though when they take '80s thrash and old-school death metal and slam the two together. Frenetic soloing, blasting drums and throat-shredding vocals all come through perfectly on tracks like "Constricted Cognition" or "Penance for the Solipsist." The band also manage to do a great job of building tension during moments of the album, particularly with the ominous slow build on "Ode to Absolution."
Although Noisem drifted off the metal scene's radar for a few years, Cease to Exist should bring them right back to where they were before. The record acts as a solid reminder of why they became an instant hit with extreme metal fans just a few years ago and will hopefully not be the last we hear from them for a while.