Mindscar – Kill The King – Album Review

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Technical Death Metal often gets a bad rep these days. With the golden era of Chuck Schuldiner’s Death, Atheist and Pestilence etc long since defunct, the current breed of Technical Death Metallers often jostle with Deathcore’s contingent and can become lost in an opinion-dividing dirge of breakdowns and monotonous growls. Not so Mindscar; the Floridian brawlers who originally turned heads way back in 2001 and have returned with a monster of an album that combines all the necessary facets that make the elite of Death Metal, Grindcore and Metalcore so magisterial.

The requisite aural assault displayed on Kill The King is aided by a virtually flawless production and the kind of musicianship that has you gaping in awe at the sheer technical bravado on display. While some Tech Death can fall into the trap of relentlessly mind-numbing showboating, Mindscar are astute enough to allow memorable riffs to crack through the often impenetrable wall of Grindcore-esque drubbing. “Asmodeus” “Kill The King“, and “Descending Straight To Hell” particularly earmark Mindscar as a band with the ability to create challenging yet accessible material. Material which should appeal to progressive ears and also those looking for a more immediate jolt of pure molten metal.

Trivium’s Matt Heafy pops up to provide some able assistance along the way but in all honesty Mindscar suitably impress without roping in a ‘bigger’ name to aid their exposure; you get the sense that this is simply Heafy helping out old buddy’s because his influence and impact is relatively low key.

Mindscar may have to make up for those lost years but Kill The King surely stands them in good stead. With material as strong as this, their climb back up the ladder to reclaim their rightful place in Metal’s hallowed kingdom should be a relatively easy one. 7/10