BRODEQUIN
BRODEQUIN – “Harbinger of Woe”
by Thor
The brodequin is a French torture device from the Middle Ages. Experts consider it to be among the most brutal instruments of torture (some of you might have seen what I did there, yeah?) ever employed.
The band BRODEQUIN — Knoxville’s long-dormant masters of cacophonous death/grind — couldn’t have picked a better name because from 1998 through 2004 they were arguably the most brutal band the world had ever heard.
The band’s ethos was to compose songs with uncompromising musical violence. To such a degree, in fact, that their dedication alone to such a singular yet multifaceted attribute of extreme metal, even one that sacrificed listenability to some extent, was impressive in and of itself. The resulting music was uncomfortable and exhausting. Mission accomplished.
During that six-year stretch, BRODEQUIN released three albums full of the fastest, most unrelenting, guttural death metal ever recorded. However, much like their songs, the band’s career was short and fast. After 2004’s “Methods of Execution” the band disappeared.
I bought those albums as they were released. They mostly stayed on the CD rack, reserved for only the tried-and-true death metal sickos in my clique, and in small enough doses as to not bludgeon everyone to the point of no return. During the twenty years since the band’s disappearance, the number of my friends who were hearty enough to withstand a song or two from the infamous BRODEQUIN had dwindled to a number I can count on one (fingerless) hand. The CDs have been relegated to curious, morbid artifacts. Like shrunken heads.
But, just like horror’s scariest monsters, BRODEQUIN is too destructive a musical force to just lie dormant forever. And after two long decades, brothers Jaimie and Mike Bailey, along with new drummer Brennan Shackelford, have returned to claim their throne of brutality with a new full-length album called “Harbinger of Woe” available now from Season of Mist.
The first notable difference about “Harbinger of Woe” is that, unlike the blown-out blur of noise typified by their early work, the production here is crystal clear. Every note is audible and articulate, and even Jaimie Bailey’s ultra guttural vocals are relatively discernable. It’s a broad stroke that alters everything else.
The other major difference is that Brodequin’s no longer averse to occasionally playing in halftime, i.e., GROOVE! These guys are my age, so this is just as likely father time showing out as it is an aesthetic choice. But it does go a long way toward making this album a bit more dynamic and interesting, thus bestowing it with repeated listenability.
Other than those two not-so-inconsequential differences in the band’s approach, “Harbinger of Woe” brings the goods in ways that will be instantly recognizable to longtime fans because, aside from some differences around the edges, BRODEQUIN at its core still plays blisteringly fast, guttural death/grind songs about torture.
Despite moderating some of their more extreme musical tendencies during the band’s time away, BRODEQUIN’s “Harbinger of Woe” is a successful return to form. This album is a must-have for fans of the band’s early work as well as fans of bands such as INTERNAL SUFFERING, DEVOURMENT, and DISGORGE.