Fractured Insanity “Age of Manipulation”
In the realm of brutal death metal, we often see bands construct dense sounds that take the core elements of traditional death metal and crank them up to 11. This could be playing faster, being more technical, more breakdowns, and simply finding new ways to be brutal. The USA and Europe have some of the most beloved bands in this genre, each with their own shtick and style. Nile, for example, lean on the Ancient Egyptian themes, while also being more technical in their compositions. Hour of Penance, on the other hand, infuses a blackened tinge to their sound that develops into atmospheric, yet brutal soundscapes. In either case, there is an air of unhinged creativity executed at an impossibly high level for most to comprehend; the cutting edge of extreme music. Zooming into the country of Belgium, Fractured Insanity celebrate their 20th anniversary with the release of their fifth album Age of Manipulation; an apt title for the current state of humanity.
Forming in 2004 and releasing their first EP The Ethics of Nihility in 2006, saw them break into the scene with a more traditional approach to brutal death metal; think old school Dying Fetus and Suffocation. Over the evolution of the band and member changes, their sound was catapulted firmly into a blackened direction while still maintaining their core brutal death pedigree. This shift was most notable on their third album Man Made Hell and continues in the same vein here on Age of Manipulation, with the only new member being Jeroen Buysse on guitar. This shift in tone opened up a whole new pallet of sounds and influences to pull from. Which can all be heard throughout their compositions. Lyrically, the band boldly speaks on human suffering, religious zealotry, and sociopolitical criticism.
The album opens with “Exaltation of A Fallen Glory”. A more atmospheric black metal style guitar riff, supported by slow tempo drum work, sets the stage before launching us into their trademark machine gun style wall of sound. The layered vocals of Stefan Van Bael immediately grab you as the blending of a slightly higher shrieking tone is mixed with a more mid register growl. The vocal textures achieved here, and throughout the record, sound like a demon possessed person and have a quality reminiscent of Glen Benton of Deicide. Speaking of developing powerful textures, “The Hangman's Lair” literally sounds like the summoning of a great leviathan. Drummer Ignace “Hammerman” Verstraete, kicks things off with a Slayer-esque “Criminally Insane” drum intro, a more monotone spoken word section from Stefan floats overtop, and then the song opens up into a monstrous death metal chugging riff with pinch harmonic accents. The song ebbs and flows, between brutal death and blackened death, with certain sections being more unhinged than others to create a sense of panic. For long-time fans of Fractured Insanity, the first half of the album is a tried and true high quality execution of the band’s sound. The creative surprises and gems of experimentation happen in the later half.
“Fear; the Ultimate Weapon” features a short jazzy interlude that would belong on a Rivers of Nihil record and somehow still fits within the composition of this song. Similarly, the drumming on “Slumber in the Deep” showcases not only fun changes in tempo but also shows exemplary creativity by translating one core drum beat into three distinct styles within the same song which helps shift the energy of each section while every other instrument stays the same. Lastly, the use of solo bass passages and a string orchestra outro to the song “Psy-K.O.” really add a whole other layer of dynamics to the album. The conclusion to the record is a culmination of the above; creative, atmospheric, and brutal. “We All Die in the End” begins with eerie guitar feedback with whispered female and male vocals saying “we all die in the end” over and over again. The main riff materializes slowly while it increases in speed, then the double bass kicks in building up the urgency until the eventual release of tension into the blackened machine gun style mid section of the song. A full guitar solo wails in two thirds of the way through the track and sounds like it would fit on a classic thrash album from the 80’s; once again adding a different unexpected dimension to the album. The final movement of the track is reminiscent of the old school Behemoth sound found on “Conquer All” and devolves from a half time groove to much slower tempos all while the demonic vocals once again powerfully exclaim “we all die in the end.”
Being brutal for brutality sake is fun but can be an overused trope that leads a band into a creative trap. I’d argue that being super technical simply to show off leads bands into a similar trap. The true magic happens when a band can yield both to produce something that captivates audiences across the musical spectrum and are bold enough to experiment in the grey area. Age of Manipulation unfolds as the most creative and cohesive work from Fractured Insanity and should be regarded as the defining record of their career thus far. Every song fits within the theme of the record and showcases different elements from within the world of brutal death metal, accentuating the band’s ability to produce high quality music that is also fresh.
SCORE: 4.5 / 5
FFO: Decapitated, Behemoth (early), Hour of Penance
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