Beheaded by Trust

A healthy smattering of EPs over the years have kept Izegrim’s career moving even while full-lengths were hard to come by, though the latest effort Beheaded by Trust has been the only comfort for fans since early 2018, leaving a large gap in recent years. That it’s great stuff certainly helps matters, showcasing the most stable line-up of the Dutch outfit marking a decade together, shortly before Bas Wijnbergen joined to contribute bass (suitably, given his name) in order to allow Marloes Voskuil to concentrate on vocals.

The title track of Beheaded by Trust puts those vocals under immediate scrutiny, not only due to the central position they usually adopt on Izegrim tracks, but also because of the rather more emotional elements added by way of some distraught cleaner tones. This gradually expanding range reflects the direction that the other instrumentalists have taken, surging melodic death riffing attenuated by slower passages of chunky stoicism, as well as increasingly developed lead sections, such as that forming the main bridge to ‘Stain in the Bloodline’. The opening of ‘Warmonger II’ proves an exception to largely high pace, and the crushing groove generated reaps a different kind of reward. Familiar hooky brutality remains the order of the day, though the manner in which Izegrim deliver the goods is becoming less predictable with every release.

Naturally, with a mere 4 songs spanning 17 minutes, diversity and experimentation have no place on the release. Each cut hits hard and true, ripping through several movements of insistent riffing and memorable rhythms, then departs at just the right moment, which has remained a feature of the band’s albums for some time too. I’m mildly surprised to see that Izegrim have been compared to so many other female-fronted bands on this website, even though Arch Enemy was a pretty clear reference earlier in their career. For me, nothing even partially diluted comes from the direction of the vocals, nor do the Dutch play up the gender mix of the band, standing somewhere closer to catchy death metal mavens like Dew-Scented and Legion of the Damned. As such, do yourself a service and take a listen to the best short-player of Izegrim’s career so far.