Profane Usurpation

Kruelty has been on the rise in popularity in the extreme metal scene for a few years now. And have become a personal favorite of mine. Hailing from Tokyo Japan. Their first 2 records were praised highly for their awesome blend of death metal, death doom, and hardcore punk. The sophomore album “Untopia” is what got me into this band. At first, it didn’t click with me. But when I saw them open up for Dying Fetus earlier in May. That’s when I became a super fan. And a few weeks after seeing them a second time with Undeath in October. They released a brand new EP. “Profane Usurpation”. A 4 track EP of pure death metal masterwork.

Aside from 2 little intros in “Absolute Terror” and “Bloodless Mankind”. This EP is fucking relentless. There is no time to catch your breath, and it takes no prisoners as it ruthlessly bashes your skull. It’s fast, groovy, and filled to the brim with chunky breakdowns. One thing I did notice early on when the title track of this EP dropped was that this band has taken a way more blasty and death metal approach. They still have their hardcore and death-doom elements. But this EP is way faster and thrashy. But don’t worry. This EP is still groovy, hooky, and evil as a motherfucker. The atmosphere here is so dismal and pissed-off sounding. The band has not changed whatsoever.

The production of this EP is just perfect for this band’s sound. For a band as heavy and as groovy as Kruelty. You need a crisp yet powerful raw punch. The guitar tone on this release is amazing. It’s the meanest and punchiest fucking thing you’ll hear this year. Each riff and chug is just way more heavier with this tone. And the bass doesn’t disappoint either. It's crisp and shines across the whole release without being drowned out. The drums are like a machine gun and sound so fucking nasty. And so does the vocals. Everything is powerful and sounds great on here overall.

Let’s talk about the guitar work now. Goddamn, where do I even begin? This EP has amazing riffs and songwriting. Kruelty knows how to latch on to a fucking groove and just beat it into your ears over and over. Each song has a memorable hook or rhythm that will make you want to go ape shit and break things. The band also are the masters of tension and build-up. They know how to play with tension, and they especially know how to transition into a breakdown or groove perfectly. Making it hit even harder than it already is.

The music sounds extremely pissed off and it pays off very well. In my eyes, this release is the equivalent of a depressed person just lashing out and releasing all their pent-up emotions and anger. The band also dives into very depressing and nihilistic lyrical content. Which backs up the depressed and angry feelings this release gives me.

Other than groove this band has incredible tremolo work and chuggy riffs galore here. Nothing on here drags or sounds boring. This band is always changing tempos and keeping things moving aggressively. The riffs are still punky like a motherfucker as well. Kruelty always has a hardcore underbite no matter how death metal or doomy they get. I love how they integrate some odd melodic leads near the end of the title track. Making it sound evil and ominous. It’s a very memorable moment in this release. “No Fear of Judgment” has tons of great doomy passages and punky riffs in particular. It has a perfect blend of Incantation worship and hardcore grooves.

Vocally this EP is top fucking notch. This is the first release to feature guitarist Zuma on vocals. He does a good job of replacing their old vocalist Tatami. He manages to sound just as aggressive as he did on the previous 2 records. His voice is very commanding and deep. His vocals flow very well with the other instruments as well. Making him sound very pissed off. I love how they continue to layer his vocals over Seina’s (the bassist) backup screams. Especially as a transition into a breakdown. That shit is so pissed off sounding it’s guaranteed to make the pits go nuts.

The drumming on this release propels a lot of the fast sections and the songs in general. The drums are always beating the shit out of you with blast beats. If it’s not blast beats it’s chunky double bass grooves and thrashy d-beats. Everything from the slower sections to the fantastic rhythms, and the visceral blast beats. All of it is played with such rage-induced precision. The drummer Mani is such a groovy and tight drummer. He’s always in the pocket and always has a great drum full up his sleeve.

Before I end this review I wanted to talk about my favorite song on this release. A song that I feel has everything this band does extremely well. But maxed the fuck out on all the aspects that make this band special. This song in particular I was extremely excited to hear it as a studio version. Especially after seeing the band play it live twice the 2 times I’ve seen them before this EP dropped. This song is the third track “Bloodless Mankind”.

After the little ominous intro, a distant scream fades into the opening riff of the song. It’s my favorite riff this band has ever written. I haven’t heard a riff sound that pissed off and aggressive in a while. It makes me wanna break shit each time I hear it. The song has everything to love about this band. It has the blast beats, the great transitions, and the nasty fucking breakdowns. There is also a moment where the vocals are layered with Seina’s screams again. As a transition into a nasty fucking breakdown. The ending breakdown is also the heaviest fucking thing on the planet. The song ends off with the opening riff at the beginning of the song as well. Making it an even more memorable riff.

If you can’t tell already I fucking love this EP. It has overthrown the previous record this band has put out. This is crazy for me because “Untopia” is a masterpiece as well. But this EP has and does everything you’d expect and love from this band better in my eyes. It has it all. And if you’ve wanted a more blasty and more death metal version of this band. This EP is for you. It has everything I love about modern death metal. So I can’t recommend this EP enough to any hardcore or death metal fan. So give a jam immediately. A brilliant piece of extreme metal.

FFO: Incantation, Outer Heaven, Cianide, Fuming Mouth, Gatecreeper, Gates to Hell, Internal Bleeding, Ingrown