Nonentity

Wow, this EP from Belgian Death Metallers Ill Fares the Land is one of the more devastating things I’ve heard lately. Few bands could pull off a combination of Melodic, Thrashy and Brutal Death Metal, not to mention some Black Metal-inspired tremolo-riffing, but Belgium appears to be a land of untold wonders. Though the band is relatively unheard of, that will change, if they ever get around to recording a full-length, and if it measures up to this ravaging and finely crafted 24-minute massacre.

First track “The Defeated Prophecy” wastes no time at all, no introduction, just instant blast beats under a whirling current of twisted, intricately melodic Black/Death riffs. I’m still a little shocked at how good this is; I’ve had the release for some time, but never gave it more than a glance until recently, and now that it’s got me in its clutches, I’m not sure how I ever gave it even a few seconds of my time and wasn’t immediately enthralled. I don’t know — hold up, just a second...

Okay, sorry, couldn’t resist a violent fit of headbanging at the beginning passage of “Ages of Chaos.” Anyway, I don’t know how they managed it, but these Belgians have produced 24 minutes of non-stop rarely-recycled riffs that are highly infectious, unusually fresh sounding, and subtle enough to reward repeated listens. Normally, when an EP is this good and this short, its ending is a time of considerable lament, but in Nonentity’s case, I don’t mind starting the whole thing over and giving it another immediate play-through. In addition to the relentless thrashing of the labyrinthine guitarwork, there’s a lot of creative drum-play throughout this mini-cd, blast beats common but often stepping aside to allow a swift and precise fill or otherwise odd pattern to emerge, always keeping in time with the work of the two guitarists, never dominating the rest of the instrumentation but remaining ever inventive and dexterous. Highly, highly impressive performances from all musicians involved, including the bassist, whose presence isn’t always obvious, but whose absence would most certainly detract from the overall immensity of the band’s sound.

The vocals are are a step lower in register than traditional death growls, closer to the tone of some in the brutal death field, but I find that they suit the apocalyptic atmosphere extremely well. They aren’t quite guttural, just a subterranean quality of deep not dissimilar to early Suffocation.

I read somewhere that these guys started out playing metalcore. If that’s true — holy shit, they’ve come a long way. This is essential for any Death Metal fan that doesn’t mind a little bit of well-implemented and reined-in melodicism.

This is the first official full length for Ill Fares the Land, and it was worth the waiting. Recorded in Dé Studio (a.o. Panchrysia fame) this album has a flawless sound which only helps in forming an idea about the band’s overall sound. Taking their music one step further than on their demo “Souls Aground on the Reefs of Sin” Ill Fares the Land is more or less ready to take on a broader audience. Better written riffs, complexer drum patterns and a wider brutal - yet still fairly melodic - death metal sound, display a band that could grow big in the future. ‘Signs Proclaiming Apocalypse’, ‘The Defeated Prophecy’ or ‘Insufferable Insolence’ are a top notch proof that Belgium is indeed a fertile land when it comes to brutal underground metal. With high class artwork and dark, gloomy lyrical content the gates lie open for Ill Fares the Land !