Welcome back to another Thrash Attack!
Last week we flew through the cosmos with the likes of Space Chaser, but today we’re gonna do a little grave robbing with Epi-Demic. For those who happen to dig Cro-Mags, Crumbsuckers, and Beyond Possession, you’re bound to dig the horror crossover delights of the band’s new record Malformed Conscience (Horror Pain Gore Death).
Epi-Demic combine playful grooves with off the wall shredding that produce high impact beat downs. With variety in delivery Malformed Conscience goes from one minute being a graveyard kegger, to everyone at the party being eaten by the living dead. The album kicks off with “Rotting In Plain Sight”, giving off that exact feel in fun and heaviness. Warming up with a funky groove, it gets the listener all loosey goosey… that is until the first punch gets thrown. Coming in like shattering glass, the drumming blasts off and lets loose to some bass heavy pummeling. This formula is pretty common from beginning to end, and allows the record as a whole to maintain a high level of fun. “Famine” drones in with some stoner edge as the drum work warms up. After dropping in a bass hefty crunchy filler, the guitar flies off like a flame in the night, speeding away like a lightning bolt. The song drops more of that crushing bass and drum beat that plays beautifully alongside the brighter tone of the guitar.
“Dark Thoughts” kicks off with a bit more of a sinister ring as it trudges forward. Sludgy tones vibrate with a dark aura that buzzes around the instrumentation. Halfway however the band kicks back into that fun groove of theirs, throwing in bits and pieces of ripping blasts. That balance of heavy and funky makes for some of the wildest combinations of sounds (and always enjoyable). Malformed Conscience isn’t in your face goofy when it comes to the horror, but balances the subject matter with the balance in instrumentation. The drum work here comes with a great prominence that thunders through each track. Guitar and bass both equally allow for playfulness in riffs, and heftier spirals of thrash driven insanity. Vocal delivery is to the point and harsh with hardcore grit that grinds against the instrumental work. “Breaking Your Mind” is a pure thrash crusher that begins with a steady build up, all before letting loose on the floodgates. Once unleashed, the band takes off with blaring guitar work and drum blasts that collapse on the listener like an avalanche.
With eleven tracks in total Malformed Conscience is a wicked fun record. It’s a good time wrapped in balls to the wall adrenaline. Epi-Demic maintain a solid balance between the two sounds, and create a work that remains fresh with each song. Preorders for the album are available through the Horror Pain Gore Death Bandcamp page, and if you want to follow the band, you can check out their Facebook. Let us know in the comments below your thoughts on Epi-Demic, and look forward to sharing more thrash with ya’ll on the next Thrash Attack!
