A Hill to Die Upon

Germany's Mental Cruelty is a band that I feel has always had a problem standing out from the crowd. They fall into the broad brutal deathcore/slam category, whatever that even means nowadays. There are too many bands playing this style to count so it's not incredibly surprising that some bands have gotten lost in the shuffle. 2019's 'Inferis' was a decent but ultimately unremarkable album that admittedly had some ridiculously brutal breakdowns. On May 28th they released their third album 'A Hill to Die Upon' via Unique Leader Records.

Just by looking at the album cover you can tell something is different about Mental Cruelty this time around. On 'A Hill to Die Upon' Mental Cruelty adds a black metal edge to their brutal deathcore. The black metal genuinely adds some variety and depth to Mental Cruelty's sound and makes this a much more interesting listen as a result. On tracks like 'Avgang' and 'Fossenbrate', Mental Cruelty uses the more atmospheric elements of black metal to create an unsettling feel around the album. The traditional black metal tremolo picking adds a sinister feel to Mental Cruelty's sound. Even with new elements Mental Cruelty never strays too far from what they do best: insanely heavy breakdowns and even more insane vocals. Mental Cruelty, like other similar bands, definitely know when to crank up the heavy.

If you're a fan of deathcore and hear the phrase "blackened deathcore'' your first thought is probably the band Lorna Shore. 'A Hill to Die Upon' has a lot in common with Lorna Shore's 2020 album, 'Immortal'. I think the comparisons are warranted, after all Lorna Shore is the most successful band playing this style. I wouldn't call this album a clone per say but they fit into a similar niche. Mental Cruelty's vocalist, Luca Schmerler, has a similar brutal vocal delivery to CJ McCreery and both albums have some ridiculously heavy production and breakdowns. Looking at 'Immortal' is a good way to see the shortcomings of 'A Hill to Die Upon'.

'Immortal' is a cohesive mix of deathcore and black metal that uses elements of both styles to compliment each other. The evil atmosphere and quieter moments of 'Immortal' make the breakdowns hit significantly harder due to the excellent contrast. 'A Hill to Die Upon' isn't quite as cohesively mixed together and at some points the black metal and deathcore elements are in competition with each other, which is most likely due to this being Mental Cruelty's first time playing this style. It felt like Mental Cruelty weren't completely comfortable with the black metal elements to sustain a song so they'll throw in a bass shattering breakdown or ridiculous vocal passage where they weren't necessarily needed. There are moments where the elements come together perfectly, notably 'Eternal Eclipse' and the title track. These moments are the strongest parts of the album.

'A Hill to Die Upon' is easily Mental Cruelty's best album so far. It's dark, sinister and above all else, incredibly brutal. The band's first attempt at incorporating black metal into their sound is largely successful. While not perfect, there are plenty of good ideas, on 'A Hill to Die Upon', for Mental Cruelty to build upon. I'm optimistic that with some development to their formula, Mental Cruelty's next album can be even stronger than this.

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