Graveripper has been a name waiting to explode out of the bowels of the underground scene for a little while now, a name bubbling under with a pitch-black promise born of some tasty EPs and a split album that came out last year that had those of us who cogitate on such matters dribbling at the prospect of an actual full-strength dose from Indianapolis’ finest.
Well, it’s here now. And after spending a fair amount of time acquainting myself with Seasons Dreaming Death and it’s blackened charms I’m bound to say that the wait was worth it. Well worth it in fact.
There’s not a great deal of subtlety on show – you want ripping death? fill yer boots – but there is an awful lot of get-yer-teeth-into-this raw, purebred brutality on offer, powered for the most part by a remarkable performance from Graveripper‘s rhythm section. Jacob Lett drums like he might actually be a cyborg rather than a mere human man, offering pure relentless technique, whilst Chris Pilotte‘s bass playing is, for me at least, right up there with the likes of Dan Lilker in terms of tone and presence. In more straightforward language – he’s bloody brilliant.
The relentless bass drive that underpins many of the songs gives an almost hardcore feel to some of them, a primitivism that augments the more technical aspects of the playing of guitar pair Keegan Hrybyk and Corey Parks. Strange to relate, this gives tracks that are already frantic even more urgency, if that’s possible, but it’s controlled urgency. Somehow, despite the fact that they are playing at speeds guaranteed to test even the fittest necks, you get the feeling they’ve got beats per minute left in the tank if they need them. Frightening.
Sensibly, Graveripper don’t outstay their welcome on Seasons Dreaming Death; Ten tracks and thirty five minutes is more than enough to get the message across, but not so much that you aren’t wanting more at the end. This is an outstanding debut but also a harbinger, I’m sure, of even bigger and better albums to come.
Seasons Dreaming Death releases on August 25th.
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