THE SMOTHERING ARMS OF MERCY

"The Smothering Arms Of Mercy" is the debut full-length studio album by Australian technical/avant garde death metal act Growth. The album was released through Wild Thing Records in December 2020. Growth formed in 2019 in Melbourne and consists of the Barnes brothers, Tristan (bass, guitars) and Nelson (drums) and lead vocalist Luke Frizon.

Stylistically the material on the 9 track, 62:46 minutes long album is technical/avant garde death metal in the vein of Gorguts and Ulcerate. Growth are slightly more accessible than the two other mentioned acts though, and they even occasionally include clean vocals (or maybe more correctly vocals which are sung and not growling vocals, because most of them are still pretty raw vocals) and some melody. When that happens I´m reminded of the most chaotic and raw moments of Gojira. There is a post-metal touch to the music too in the way some of the tracks build towards climaxes. The best example of that is the closing track "Gird Your Loved in Armour While Yet You Wither".

To listeners familiar with the style, it´s no surprise the riffs are dissonant and the riff- and song structures are often unconventional and twisted. The atmosphere is bleak and the lyrical content depressing. Growth are a very well playing unit and the performances are top notch on all posts. "The Smothering Arms Of Mercy" also features a powerful, raw, and detailed sounding production, so upon conclusion it´s a high quality release through and through. A few more original ideas and a more unique sound could have elevated this album to an even higher state, but it´s still a great album as it is. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)