Review by Sandre the Giant
Chicago’s Immortal Bird are slowly growing into a new force in the extreme metal scene, forging music as a weapon from a variety of genres. Their previous record, ‘Thrive on Neglect’, was a fearsome, angular and constantly shifting record that was very impressive in 2019. But we’re five years on, in a different world, and if 20 Buck Spin have still got confidence in you to deliver the goods, then you’ve got to step up to the plate and swing. Their new record, ‘Sin Querencia’ is out now, and has already been getting quite a bit of hype.
‘Bioluminescent Toxins’ is a lurching, grimly blackened sludge monstrosity, revelling in its tempo variations and savage delivery. But just when you feel you have a grasp on what Immortal Bird are about, the quiet moment with ethereal clean vocals that collapses into devastating, Gojira-esque riffing shatters those conceptions. That is a story repeated oft in this record; each song leaving you bemused and enthralled. There is almost grindcore bludgeoning, groaning sludge, deeply unsettling dissonance and rabid black metal all playing a role in the creation of ‘Sin Querencia’. While ‘Thrive on Neglect’ was a more grind/sludge record for me, the growth and scale of ‘Sin Querencia’ is a glorious evolution of the band’s songwriting capabilities. The intro guitarwork of ‘Consanguinity’ could have slipped from an early Mastodon record, ‘Ocean Endless’ has an obvious hardcore influence to it, and ‘Contrarian Companions’ feels like Gorguts if they’d grown up on Botch or Converge; oddly dissonant and angular but still heavy and grinding brutality underneath it.
Abrupt changes of pace and leering nihilism infect each moment of this record, and the constant variety and seething energy that pulses from ‘Sin Querencia’ is utterly hypnotic. A record that will both stun you immediately, and unlock new levels of appreciation with each spin, ‘Sin Querencia’ should be the one that puts Immortal Bird firmly on the map this year. What an incredible piece of forward looking devastation, taking black, grind, sludge, noise rock, death metal to all new places. Highly recommended.
https://www.facebook.com/immortalbirdband