Opening the record is the outrageously heavy Nightfall which reminds the listener exactly who has taken over the speakers. Not even 2 seconds in, the first of Mike Hranica's guttural roars rips atop a dense downtuned riff. The song pulsates along before falling into a lull on a cycle which pulls the two sides of this EP together like a Frankenstein's monster of fantastic ideas. Further, Forlorn throws in the kitchen sink in a full-frontal assault in the senses before laying back for a verse and diving straight back in again.
One thing to particularly note is the total lack of any breathing room in the collection; it is a wholly heavy record start to finish. Closing with Contagion is a strong end to it, with lyrics 'six feet infection' carrying over the riffs and encompassing the sheer desperation and frustration so many of us have been feeling over the last couple of years. The whole record feels like it is hanging on the edge of sanity and it dances that fine line with utter confidence.
To be totally clear, this is no listen for the faint-hearted heavy dabbler - this is an all-out, bolshy punch in the gut and it's totally brilliant. These tracks have some of the best songwriting and layering in recent years from the band and it's no wonder they are still at the top of the game after all this time.
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