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BRAINDOWN
A World To Forget

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 5.5/10

After a seemingly never-ending stream of single releases, Québec death thrashers Braindown finally throws out its debut full-length album which, rather oddly, acts as a compilation more so as it features all of the singles. Even so, this remains a consistent opus that incorporates elements of groove metal, although my main issue here is the rather irritating vocals; macho, rasping barks that tend to be rather generic in their approach, but aren’t afraid to come down into lower death metal territories.

For me, A World To Forget is slightly let down by its modern dynamics, and in a sense it struggles to feel organic or even menacing giving one the feel of a contemporary “hardcore” act attempting to dabble in deathlier realms while nodding towards Pantera and the likes.

I enjoy the band more at a mid-paced vibe, so tracks such as opener ‘Day Of Torment’ work well, although the drums do sound a tad mechanical. Meanwhile, the thrashier aspects (‘Imperium Noctis’) work okay musically but again the vocals just grate and by the time I’m just beyond the halfway point my attention starts to drift.

I’m cherry-picking here, but my favourite tracks are the chugging ‘Reflection Of A Misery’, the title track with its sensual introduction and the more belligerent, primal rage of ’Dysthymia’. However, all too often this record, particularly the vocals, sounds like an angry kid rebelling against his parents but to no avail, and you can hear this sort of mid-to-late 90s bludgeoning everywhere. I’m trying not to be too critical here but I’m merely commenting on what I hear, and this is adolescent raging and intensity for youthful congregations.

Neil Arnold

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