IMMORTAL BIRD "Thrive On Neglect"

IMMORTAL BIRD

"Thrive On Neglect"

If Chicago's IMMORTAL BIRD was a real bird, they'd be a shrike. A deadly killer on the wing. For once, the PR sheet does not exaggerate or lie...this band is truly impossible to pin down to any one easy subgenre. However, one word applies to them every time: extreme.

This is some very well thought-out and savage music that's constructed with some brains behind it. They are extreme metal, but not in the comfortable "old school" sense. Their songs morph quickly from dissonant black metal to a kind of progressive hardcore to technical death metal, but all with a harsh and clinical feel. Ragged female vocals add an extra layer of viciousness. This lady is one I would not like to get on the bad side of!. Opener "Anger Breeds Contempt" starts with a pummeling and darkly catchy hardcore feel but soon shows signs of American black metal influence. That's a pretty good introduction to IMMORTAL BIRD, but is straightforward compared to most of the other songs here.

"Vestigial Warnings", "Avolition" and "Stumbling Towards Catharsis" all have odd bursts of uneasy and cold melody popping up in unexpected places, usually towards the end of the song. Many tracks here have a "false finish" where the song starts up again in a completely different fashion. This is not easy listening and there are some parts where the band just sounds awkward, like the abrupt conclusion of "Stumbling Towards Catharsis". But it's a challenging listen that doesn't compromise an inch. Thinking man's extreme metal that strikes like a predatory bird...

20 BUCK SPIN

IMMORTAL BIRD