Mad Sick Mind

At first glance, the song titles of the fifth Endless album might have been written by a teenager aiming to be edgy. Indeed, the lyrics that can be discerned from Darkyrie’s brutal low growls seem quite self-involved, often portraying personal anguish rather than tales of serial killing and destruction. As the first release where the Spanish project led by Enrique is joined by Darkyrie, the thematic jump from social problems and dystopian visions seems quite drastic, while the 3 year gap since Duality of Personality may explain some of the stylistic changes too. This time focused less on typical death metal riffing, the drum machine is really used to work with the down-tuned guitars to pulverize the listener in regular blows, while spacious lead guitar sounds at times almost like keyboard to add atmosphere and melody.

Because of the very extreme elements that veer towards grind at times, plus features that seem almost epic, I’m not sure how I feel about the balance of Mad Sick Mind. On the one hand, the release certainly keeps energy high, rarely dwelling on a single idea for more than a few bars, though some of the transitions feel sudden and unusually mechanistic. Not only due to the drum machine’s inhuman rolling blasts but also as a result of the unnaturally low processed guitar and Darkyrie’s constant gutturals, most of the songs feel oddly artificial, which jars with those epic lead guitars and the personal lyrics. On the other hand, the contrast keeps things evolving and statements like the princely arrival of a mid-paced riff between frantic sections of the title track give certain songs a lot of character.

Despite relatively consistent features in most of the songs, Mad Sick Mind ends up feeling more eclectic than it actually is, perhaps because of the starkness of its parts. Additionally, the instrumental tracks ‘Rebirth’ and ‘Part of God’ offer wildly different ideas, the former sounding like menacing tribal electronic music, while the latter opens with violin and layers peaceful guitar leads over its presence. Even when the main compositions take a left turn, such as ‘I Feel Nothing’ dwelling in cold death doom territory, I can’t especially claim to love what I hear, just feel a greater sense of interest. Nevertheless, there is something to be gained from all of the tracks, which sensibly last no longer than 5 minutes, keeping the album proper below 40 minutes. The final tracks are extra re-recordings of earlier material and provide a nice bonus for long-term fans, though don’t quite accord with the style of Endless in 2018. That style promises much in its diverse ideas, though doesn’t deliver total satisfaction in the end.