Archspire – Bleed the Future (Album Review)

Posted on October 29, 2021 by duanejames

Archspire – Bleed The Future
Released: October 29, 2021

Lineup:

Online:

All right. Suss this shit out…

“Prenatal inquiry during its trimester sentencing could not begin to uncloak the new lifeforms that gnaw on the humans umbilical feed while it soaks in the swell of the host a parallel dimensional metamorphosis immediately triggered by the scent of our realm”

See that… All of that…

Archspire vocalist Oliver Rae Aleron sang all of that in 6.3 seconds on the title track of their new album Bleed The Future.

6.3 BLOODY SECONDS!!!!

Go on. Have a crack.

Try banging all that out in 6.3 seconds and not have your jaw unhinge and chunks of your lung meat fall out. Plus, this is a 32 minute album and that brief throat ripper isn’t even the fastest bit on the record. In fact, if you had any inkling that you might go and learn every lyric on this record, then strap in because there’s a total of 19,426 words on offer. Go on smart arse. I bet there’s only one bloke on the planet who has what it takes and it’s our mate Oli.

It’s fucking ridiculous is what it is. Let’s get amongst it.

If you’re hungover and thinking about listening to Archspire’s new album Bleed The Future, then think again. Either wait until you’ve well and truly recovered or suck it up, go to the esky, crack open several hair-of-the-dogs and prepare yourself for an onslaught of the senses. This is no gentle venture through the fields of transcendent thought. No. This is a focused visceral attack on your very being that will rattle you if you’re not fucking careful. Strap in. This could get messy.

First up is ‘Drone Corpse Aviator’ and I’m starting to think they should have called this album BLEED THE FUCK OUT OF MY EAR HOLES because there’s no easing in here. No lube. No gentle whispering in my ear. I’m 8 seconds in and wondering if I’ve just fucked up asking for this assignment. But I bite down, guzzle my cup of concrete and bask in the sheer majesty of these disgustingly gifted legends from Vancouver, Canada. Additionally, the film clip for this bad boy is Top Notch D-grade Horror excellence. Spot the bit where Oil does a Britney Spears South Park bit. I may have gently pissed myself laughing.

‘Golden Mouth of Ruin’ comes on and I’m wondering if this is what Jason Momoa called vocalist Oliver Rae Aleron when he and drummer Spencer Prewett were working on Momoa’s Apple TV series SEE. Prewett kickstarts proceedings by launching into a drum sequence that’s so fast a machine gun would be flat out keeping up. He has to easily be one of the most impressive percussionists on the planet. I showed my drummer mate a playthrough vid Spencer put on YouTube for ‘Lucid Collective Somnambulation’ and my mate didn’t pick his sticks up again for a month. Insanely brilliant.

I’ve banged on before that Archspire, along with Psycroptic and Hadal Maw, put on the single loudest show I’ve ever been to in 2018 on the back of their epic album Relentless Mutation. On this album though, ‘Abandon The Linear’ comes on and I’m swiftly reminded of how my ears rang for three days and the resulting hangover that wouldn’t relent. I mean, for the first 3 seconds of ‘Abandon’ I fall into the trap of thinking that I’m listening to Van Halen. Then BOOM. Hearing fucked. Still, this music is best served loud despite my complaining neighbours or sleeping child.

Title track ‘Bleed The Future’ is next and it is every bit the karaoke friendly beast I spoke of earlier. Honestly, I dare you to even TRY and keep up. Lyric video is below if you’ve got the mustard.

The intro to ’Drain of Incarnation’ gently builds from a sweet sounding guitar duet up to a crescendo of blast beats and some of the finest guitar work on display from any album released this year. Dean Lamb and Tobi Morelli are genuinely impressive throughout this LP but ‘Drain’ is their show of superiority. Huge shifts in sound, overlaying solos, massive speed shifts and just the sort of guitar hero-ing that’ll make you throw your own guitar down in disgust. You’ll look at your own hands and ask “why can’t my stumpy fingers move like that”?

‘Acrid Canon’ is just a fricken cool song. An unrelenting maelstrom of sound that has some very groovy chugging that will have you banging your delicious mullets up and down like it’s 1985, only with way more whiplash. Just try and dance along.

Bassist Jared Smith is a rare talent and he gets a chance to shine on ‘Reverie on the Onyx’. If you’ve ever seen the lads live, then you’ll know that Jared’s hands are a blur. He works every inch of that fretboard and it’s hard to ignore him. He is offered a few small opportunities to throw some solo action in and when it happens he leaves all others in his wake. I’d love to see a huge bass intro before everyone else jumps on and annihilates my hearing.

Okay. I think you get it. This shit is technical as hell and unnaturally fast. Then ‘A.U.M’ comes on and levels up on everything that came before it. Beautifully crafted at a breakneck velocity, this song would be fast at half the speed. It’s broken up with trademark Archspire subtle interludes, before opening back up into a ridiculous melee of inch perfect noise. Additionally, its a great closer to an impeccable album.

The lads have stepped up for this release and then some. Out to get faster, more technical and heavier than ever before, Archspire have meticulously crafted one of the most impressive releases of the year. It’s an unreal follow up to Relentless Mutation and every bit as unrelenting as every release these lads have pumped out. Play it loud at 3am in a crowded neighbourhood filled with infant children, sensitive dogs and tired maskless Karens.

Archspire – Bleed The Future tracklisting:

1. Drone Corpse Aviator
2. Golden Mouth of Ruin
3. Abandon the Linear
4. Bleed the Future
5. Drain of Incarnation
6. Acrid Canon
7. Reverie on the Onyx
8. A.U.M

Rating: 9/10
Bleed The Future is out now via Seasons of Mist. Purchase here
Review by Duane James @duanejames666