This is the latest EP from US death metallers Spinebreaker.
I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever get anything more from Spinebreaker. I really enjoyed 2016’s Ice Grave, but that was a very long time ago now, and I’d pretty much given up hope of anything new. That was, until Cavern of Inoculated Cognition appeared out of the blue to stomp me flat.
Smashing together old-school death metal with heavy hardcore, Spinebreaker’s new material is as crushing and devastating as you would hope for. The EP is a raging collection of meaty riffs and savage death metal nastiness.
With 25 minutes of new material Cavern of Inoculated Cognition is longer than a lot of EPs, so it gives us a decent view of what this act are up to these days; the Spinebreaker of 2023 is a new creation born from an old one. It takes the rotten bones of Ice Grave and uses them to build an undead old-school death metal monster.
The band’s death metal influences have become more prominent, with a greater emphasis on the old-school style. This is especially noticeable on a song like the opener Beneath Our Blood Stained Sun, which is a beast of malevolent riffs and heavy macabre mood, or Spectral Forge with its melodic touches and pummelling guitars. Of course, all of the songs here exhibit this greater old-school influence, but some of them, (such as Infinite Crest), also have a greater influence from the Spinebreaker of old alongside the new version. The closing track – Crimson Mask – is the longest, and probably combines the old and new aspects of Spinebreaker together the best, albeit with a slant towards the newer. I should also mention the change in vocals on these new songs, as these are now, (mostly), much deeper and more gruesome than they were.
I have enjoyed Cavern of Inoculated Cognition. Make sure that you check out what Spinebreaker are offering here if you’re a fan of old-school death metal heaviness.
Wonderbox Metal 