Bind Torture Kill - Viscères album review

Furious French genre-meddlers run out of steam

Cover art for Bind Torture Kill - Viscères album

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Remember when ‘post’ was the on-trend prefix for subgenres? Well, allow us to introduce you to the new wave of ‘blackened’. We’ve had blackened death metal (Behemoth), blackened hardcore (Young And In The Way) and now it’s blackened post-hardcore from Lyon trio Bind Torture Kill. Firmly in the vein of Baptists, the frantic punk percussion is surrounded by a murkier edge, cocooned by throaty roars enforcing a cathartic release. Viscères oozes adrenaline… at least for the first half. The seven-and-a-half minute centerpiece, Pestilence, slows the pace substantially. Slower songs are not BTK’s forte; they should be delivering a one-two knockout, not a 12-round slobber-knocker. The follow-up, Maelstrom, is no better either; when the frenzied clattering should continue unabated, we’re encouraged to take a time-out. Fuelled by venom, there’s a lot to drag you in, but Viscères’ intended adventurism leads to a dead end.

Luke Morton joined Metal Hammer as Online Editor in 2014, having previously worked as News Editor at popular (but now sadly defunct) alternative lifestyle magazine, Front. As well as helming the Metal Hammer website for the four years that followed, Luke also helped relaunch the Metal Hammer podcast in early 2018, producing, scripting and presenting the relaunched show during its early days. He also wrote regular features for the magazine, including a 2018 cover feature for his very favourite band in the world, Slipknot, discussing their turbulent 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone.