This is the debut album from US grindcore band No Heroes.
Now here’s an interesting release. Brood Eternal was created over the course of a decade, and mixes together elements of black metal, sludge, hardcore, grindcore, and noise. Yep, No Heroes, (who feature a member of Ashbringer), play a grim hybrid style, and I frequently end up really liking bands that throw all kinds of influences like this into a melting pot to end up with something really dark and nasty. Let’s have a taste then.
Brood Eternal contains 29 minutes of material, and uses its influences well across the eight tracks to deliver a range of abrasive and ugly sounds.
Brood opens, with disfigured guitars and noise enhancements, before bringing a sludgy hardcore heaviness into our lives. It’s not long before the knives come out with grinding mayhem. It’s sort of a cross between Converge, Crowpath, and Insect Warfare.
Drone is next, all insectile screams and harsh shouts. The music grinds and stalks its way through its brief duration, almost like Raging Speedhorn if they had a grind side.
Erase Me is one of the two longer cuts on the record, starting with an electronic/noise workout, before taking a harsher, yet mood-based approach. Especially in the last few minutes, the song has a strong atmospheric component that’s compelling.
Sevile and Husk of Heaven are the shortest two cuts on the record. The former is an atmospheric noise cut, while the latter is an explosion of grindcore intensity that recalls a band like Labrat or Maruta.
White walls is another mood-piece, albeit a dark and horrific one. It’s driven by bass and atypical guitars, with an emotive depth that underpins its raging heart. You can hear the Converge influence, but it’s combined with a minor feeling of some form of amalgamation of Godflesh and Training for Utopia.
The penultimate track is Numbing Mist. It’s a short work of dark ambience that effectively sets the scene for the closing odyssey.
Brood Eternal finishes with the mammoth 12-minute Eternal, which brings together pretty much everything we’ve encountered thus far in one way or another. No Heroes engage in comprehensive worldbuilding across the song, making for a absorbing soundscape that delivers everything from delicate atmosphere to unhinged brutality.
Brood Eternal is a strong release from a band not afraid to smash styles and genres together. I’ve mentioned a few different bands above, but I’ll just add another few here that came to mind when listening to Brood Eternal – Johnny Truant, Discordance Axis, Cephalic Carnage, Full of Hell, Knoll, and thekevorkiansolution. Hopefully this should give you a good impression of where No Heroes are coming from.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 