Right off the bat I can tell you now that this is a strong sophomore EP and a good example of how to build on an already respectable sound. Eradication Of Mankind is a flowing collection of songs fusing the ferocity of classic death metal, the guiltiest of all pop pleasures and spades full of emotively wailing solos. Honestly, at the best of times I’m not a massive fan of female-driven symphonic metal style vocals as they often steer away from the more extreme styles but in this era of Arch Enemy and Halestorm, Impavidus are way up there.
All throughout the EP, it’s the vocals that leave my jaw helplessly sagging. The best reference I could give is perhaps if Carcass did a collaboration with Britney Spears. Thankfully Impavidus exist so we don’t have to suffer through that!
A key highlight of the record is the chugging rhythm and bounce, that is scattered all over the tracks as if it were going out of style. The drumming in “Lies” is the perfect testament to this and the compulsory foot stomping that their music encapsulates.
The percussion in “Reprisal” is a drummer’s dream come true. To be on such fine form in your own right and simultaneously compliment the band, you’ve gotta shed blood, sweat and tears as sticksman Chris O’Rourke will certainly back up. The standout moment on this EP though has to be “Void” in it’s instrumental ode to all things thrash, using a similar thesaurus-sized vocabulary to Jeff Walker and a riffing right hand severed from someone of Mustaine caliber.
Eradication of Mankind finds Impavidus on their finest, blistering form since their inception 2 years ago, taking what we love most about stellar bands such as Carcass or Lamb Of God and bringing it into the realms of catchy, poppy goodness. However, it is not without its sharp, sobering moments such as the haunting message of “XII” bringing us back to realty, showing us that a band like Impavidus aren’t going to let us slip into our comfort zone so easily. Honestly, I’ve never heard anything quite like it and I’m a little beguiled with it’s weirdness. When has that ever been a bad thing though?
Eradication Of Mankind is out now
This a cracking review
Thank you
Impavidus