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EARTHBLOOD
Witchburner EP

Inverse (2024)
Rating: 7/10

I’ve seen this Finnish band described as sludge-thrash, which is why I hopped on board this sophomore EP. With Earthblood’s 2023 debut EP Primal Fury I was impressed by the mix of faster, bruising segments and more robust, almost hardcore slower passages, and Witchburner follows a similar trajectory; sweaty, confrontational metal that grunts and chugs with dirty weight before suddenly splitting your skull with a burst of speed.

Although the vocals of guitarist Jere Halonen and bassist Joel Notkonen are hostile, the barks could literally belong to everyone, and the reality here is that Earthblood don’t exactly have an identity. However, it’s the power of the band which really carries them. The title track is a furious thrasher that clubs you like a thawed Neanderthal uncomfortable in their new environment.

Earthblood are to the point, but it’s great to hear the more traditional metal melodies which open ‘Sons Of Heavy Rain’, although it isn’t long before the band launch into a blistering attack consisting of Niko Kauhanen’s bruising drums. However, the track boasts a really catchy chorus too and it came as a pleasant surprise. Closer ‘Swamp Hammer’ begins with a stoned and muddy trudge before the vocals channel Lemmy from Motörhead as the clan embarks on a mid-tempo charge, flattening all like a mammoth bulldozer.

It’s strange how this rugged three-song EP feels like it has no real thrills and yet there are those bombastic choruses and shifts between stoner sludge and, yes, thrashier explosions. Good, strong stuff.

Neil Arnold

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