Album Review: Mental Cavity - Neuro Siege 8.6 (Death/Grind)

Mental Cavity
Neuro Siege
Death/Grind/Hardcore
NSW, Australia
December 6, 2019
Brilliant Emperor Records
8.6/10

Do you like death metal? Do you like hardcore? The easy answer to both of these questions is fuck yes! And so you’ll quite enjoy this dark and gritty stomper of a release from Australia. We can’t make any kind of music without throwing a thick layer of sludge on it and that makes me really bloody happy. It’s the cheese of music, you can put it on almost anything. Considering there’s already the presence of hardcore and death metal stylings, this album is basically like locking a bunch of random neighbourhood dogs in a room that’s just got a lubed up tarp on the floor.

This is a high effort album in an otherwise lazy style and genre, there’s a lot of flexibility in the performances and the vocals in particular are very ready to transition, warp, contort and whatever else is needed to squeeze that last little bit out of each song. It keeps me interested throughout even when deviating from the brutality with nu metal esque melody, the band just pulls it off. They succeed where so many other bands have either fell flat or completely ruined their albums. It’s highly accessible in comparison to the majority of their peers, it’s an intriguing release that is well worth investigating if you’re on the hunt for something aggressive and engaging.

It’s a good sized album and well paced which is rare for something this sharp and stompy. The final track is a great way to cap it all off and brings out some of the catchiest riffs yet. Many albums feel tedious by the final track by Mental Cavity have a knack for keeping the momentum going strong. It encompasses so many abrasive styles and genres with such fluidity that it’s hard to turn it off once it starts up.

Mental Cavity: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram

Neuro Siege released on December 6th, 2019 and will be on Vinyl, CD and Cassette (woo!) check out the Brilliant Emperor store for details. This one will appeal to both the old and the young, the metal and the hardcore – especially on cassette due to how mid/treble this album is. It was made for a sick boom box. Dig in and be sure to let me know what you think about this hectic Aussie band.