Blood Incantation "Luminescent Bridge" Music Video
04/18/24 | [dcraley]Review: Unmerciful - Wrath Encompassed
| Album Title | Wrath Encompassed |
| Released On | Willowtip Records |
| Date | 04/24/2020 |
Brutal, fast, unrelenting, and pissed. If I had to pick a few words or one sentence to quickly describe Watch Encompassed, that would be it. Hell, that would describe the band's entire output. Unmerciful have long proven they're very aptly named.
For the uninitiated, Unmerciful are from Kansas, play wicked fast brutal death metal featuring dudes that did time in Origin. That name alone should tell you these guys have chops and don't fuck around. Formed while members Clint and Jamie were still in Origin (later added alum Jeremy Turner), it wasn't until 2006 that saw their first full length on Unique Leader. Their name understandably gained traction. They kind of disappeared after that. 2016 we saw new album, new singer, and John Longstreth of Origin on drums. That was a definitely a sick album.
Now, 4 years later, they're back with another new vocalist, new drummer, and a new label in Willowtip Records. Going into this, I had expectations of what would smash my ears open. They did not fail. It's easy for most to call this standard fair brutal death metal. With a band of their pedigree, it should be even easier to put them up with the gold standard of the genre. Their musicianship alone grants them access to that.
While yes, it does check off all the boxes for what you expect in brutal death metal, it does so with finesse. It's frenetic without losing control. It's bludgeoning and pissed. One thing it is not is relenting. A band like this doesn't even let the motor warm up. It's hop in, turn the key, floor the pedal to the metal, and kill all in its path until it runs out of gas 39 minutes later. Unmerciful indeed.
Gotten Out By
Rick has been writing off and on for a couple sites for years now. He is glad to give his opinion of music via Getting It Out. Born and raised in Lancaster, PA, he is not Amish, he is still vegan and still straight edge. He is a loving father and husband. Rick also used to play guitar and growl like an idiot in death metal band Defleshuary.
